LIBYA: As fighters of Libya's interim rulers advance closer to Muammar Gaddafi's birthplace of Sirte civilians flee for safety

Record ID: 374904

  • Title: LIBYA: As fighters of Libya's interim rulers advance closer to Muammar Gaddafi's birthplace of Sirte civilians flee for safety
  • Date: 26th September 2011
  • Summary: MAN WAVING FREE LIBYA FLAG MORE OF FLAG
  • Embargoed: 11th October 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Libya
  • Country: Libya
  • Topics: Conflict
  • Reuters ID: LVAEWOCD5BXIOQU1TPBX0GZ26FIK
  • Story Text: Forces allied to Libya's ruling National Transitional Council closed in on Muammar Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte in a fresh offensive to gain control of the city on Sunday (September 25).
    Tanks and pick-up trucks loaded with weapons rolled towards the coastal city as the fighters prepared themselves for the latest attack.
    NATO bombing raids hammered Sirte to clear the way for fighters. One strike, giving off a deep thud, released a big cloud of smoke and dust over the south of the city.
    The fighters said their advances were being hampered by the presence of civilians in the city.
    Many families have fled in the past few days as rebels advanced towards Sirte.
    On Sunday, cars loaded with belongings and matresses were lined up around a check post as the fighters searched them for weapons.
    Accounts from NTC fighters and people who had managed to leave Sirte indicated that pro-Gaddafi forces were trying to prevent civilians from fleeing, effectively using them as a human shield.
    One man confirmed the reports.
    "We found difficulties, we couldn't leave, we had to leave through the coastal route, not through the city as everything is closed. The people are in the centre and Gaddafi is surrounding them along with his mercenaries. Snipers are killing innocent people, at night you'll discover a bullet has left a person dead," said one resident Yusuf.
    Taking Sirte would be a huge boost for the NTC as it tries to establish credibility as a government, and a devastating blow for Gaddafi, widely believed to be on the run inside Libya.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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