LIBYA: Fighters loyal to the National Transitional Council (NTC) battle their way into Muammar Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte

Record ID: 375614

  • Title: LIBYA: Fighters loyal to the National Transitional Council (NTC) battle their way into Muammar Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte
  • Date: 20th September 2011
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF FIGHTERS DISTRIBUTING FOOD AND DRINK TO OTHER FIGHTERS TORN STREET POSTER THAT USED TO SHOW GADDAFI AND OTHER FORMER LEADERS WHO HE RESPECTED BURNT OUT VEHICLES ON ROADSIDE / CAMEL NEAR BURNT OUT VEHICLE MILITARY VEHICLES OUTSIDE HOTEL ON SIRTE OUTSKIRTS SIGN READING: "SIRTE MAHARI HOTEL" VARIOUS OF DAMAGE TO HOTEL EXTERIOR NTC FIGHTER VEHICLES FIGHTERS G
  • Embargoed: 5th October 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Libya
  • Country: Libya
  • Topics: Conflict
  • Reuters ID: LVAV27T8UZSMZL8QCTTVVODSGXQ
  • Story Text: Hundreds of families fled Muammar Gaddafi's birthplace of Sirte on Monday (September 19) as fighters sent by Libya's new rulers to capture the city rolled up with huge rocket launchers and artillery guns.
    National Transitional Council (NTC) forces have been struggling to wrest Sirte from Gaddafi loyalists for several days and humanitarian groups have voiced alarm at the reported conditions within the coastal city, cut off from the outside.
    Fighters preparing for a fresh assault on the town, distributed food and drink amongst themselves before their next push.
    Residents escaping said hundreds were still trapped in Sirte.
    Sirte, 450 km east of Tripoli, is one of the last strongholds of pro-Gaddafi forces along with the besieged desert town of Bani Walid and Sabha, deep in the remote south.
    Gaddafi turned his birthplace from a sleepy fishing village into a bustling quasi-capital that hosted the country's toothless parliament and international meetings.
    NTC fighter Mohammed al-Sbawy said the battle was reaching the final stages, claiming the fighters - who took over a hotel on the town's outskirts - were just over a kilometre from the town centre.
    "This area is considered to be all but secure, God willing, from here to the coast 200 metres away in that direction. There are (pro-Gaddafi) snipers stationed ahead and we are about one and a half kilometres from the main station. Some families are still being held and we won't have enough time to get them out today," he said.
    The pro-NTC fighters, who were forced into retreat on Saturday after storming the city, said they were holding off advancing deeper into Sirte or firing heavy artillery for now because they wanted to give residents a chance to leave.
    Residents edged towards the checkpoint in their vehicles, some looking visibly distressed, while others chanted anti-Gaddafi slogans and waved Libya's new flag.
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