Aljazeera, 16 Sep 2011 – In an assault on Muammar Gaddafi’s Mediterranean hometown, fighters loyal to the Libyan National Transitional Council are trying to fight their way into the city centre of Sirte from three fronts.
And fighters surged into into Bani Walid oasis, another remaining Gaddafi bastion, in a co-ordinated campaign to break the back of regime holdouts.
NTC leaders described the offensive as a co-ordinated push to take Sirte – a city of about 100,000 people – from the south, east and west.
But their advance has been hindered by snipers among the loyalists of the toppled Libyan leader, as NATO warplanes flew overhead and smoke was seen rising from parts of the coastal city.
Meanwhile, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, is visiting Libya on Friday as part of his North African tour.
At least 11 NTC fighters have been killed and 34 wounded in the assualt on Sirte, according to a statement by the Misrata Military Council.
  Al Jazeera’s Hoda Abdel Hamid, reporting from Om Gandi, 90km from Sirte, said Gaddafi forces are reinforcing west of Harrawa towards Sirte.
“The latest information we have is that at the moment both sides are digging their heals around a town called Harrawa.
“One fighter who claims he came out of Sirte last night says revolutionary forces are controlling some areas inside Sirte. But the situation is quite dire for civilians there, he says. They are missing absolutely everything.
“He says they have been under siege by Gaddafi forces for at least three months.”