October 10, 2011 defpro.com
Libyan transitional government forces have launched their biggest assault on Saturday yet on Muammar Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte, firing heavy artillery at the last major bastion of support for the deposed leader.
The forces of Libya's new rulers were pushing into the Mediterranean coastal city from the west, east and south in heavy fighting, trying to squeeze Gaddafi loyalists into a smaller and smaller perimeter.
Forces loyal to the ruling National Transitional Council, who for weeks have waited on the edge of Sirte, now say the battle is entering its final and decisive phase.
The two sides battered each other with rockets, mortar shells and tank fire, as Gaddafi snipers fired down on fighters advancing through housing complexes.
"We started the attack at 6 am today. The first group hit the outskirts of Sirte. We were fired on by Gaddafi snipers. We had many soldiers wounded," said commander Altaib Aleroebi of the ex-rebels' West Mountain Brigade, which led the morning attack on the western front.
Thousands of civilians have fled Sirte as fighting intensified, describing increasingly desperate conditions for those inside Mediterranean seafront city.
Reflecting growing international concern, a senior United Nations envoy urged NTC fighters battling their way into the city not to take reprisals against Gaddafi supporters. (DD India)
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