Anti-Gaddafi forces ‘in retreat’

16 September 2011 Last updated at 14:56 ET

Anti-Gaddafi forces have been forced to pull back from Bani Walid after meeting fierce resistance from those loyal to the ousted Libyan leader.

Fighters came under heavy shelling and gunfire after entering the town, 90 miles (140 kilometres) southeast of the capital Tripoli.

Further to the east, forces have launched an assault on Sirte, another remaining Gaddafi stronghold.

Meanwhile, the UN has given Libya’s seat to the transitional authorities.

The vote, which faced only minor opposition, clears the way for interim PM Mustafa Abdul Jalil to attend the UN General Assembly in New York next week.

US officials say President Barack Obama will meet Mr Jalil on the sidelines of the gathering.

Earlier, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan vid Tripoli and met the country’s new leaders, as part of a regional tour.

Concern for civilians

Fighters loyal to the National Transitional Council (NTC) have been trying to regroup on the outskirts of Bani Walid, reports say.

Shortly after entering the town, they faced snipers, mortar attacks and rocket barrages as they tried to dislodge Gaddafi loyalists from the city centre, Associated Press reports.

The streets in the northern outskirts of the town were deserted and houses were riddled with bullet holes, according to Reuters news agency.

The fresh advance on Bani Walid came after a deadline to allow civilians to leave the town expired.

Bani Walid and Sirte are among the last strongholds of those loyal to Col Muammar Gaddafi, after Tripoli fell to NTC forces last month.

‘Decisive phase’

The BBC’s Ian Pannell, in Tripoli, says the latest attacks suggest the battle for the remaining contested areas of Libya could be entering a decisive phase.

But there is concern for the tens of thousands of civilians still believed to be living in both cities, and who have been surviving for weeks with limited access to food, water and electricity, our correspondent adds.

The BBC’s Peter Biles, outside Bani Walid, says soldiers at a checkpoint told him that the driver of Col Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam has been captured.

Our correspondent said smoke could be seen from the town and explosions heard, while a number of ambulances have been coming from Bani Walid carrying wounded.

Meanwhile scores of trucks mounted with machine guns and four tanks were seen on the road leading into Sirte on Friday, Reuters reported. Anti-Gaddafi sources said that Sirte airport had been taken from loyalists.

On Thursday evening, fighters had breached defences south and west of the city, about 8km from the centre, but met heavy resistance, the NTC said.

The anti-Gaddafi fighters advancing on Sirte – made up of battalions from Misrata, 200km to the west – suffered at least four deaths and seven wounded, although a report quoting the Misrata Military Council said 11 were killed and 34 hurt.

Meanwhile, on Friday, the NTC is to send a delegation to neighbouring Niger in an effort to recover gold and cash believed to have been taken out of Libya by fleeing Gaddafi loyalists.

At least 36 members of the fugitive leader’s inner circle, including relatives and generals, have fled to Algeria and Niger since Tripoli fell to NTC forces last month.

Mr Abdul Jalil said Libya would also ask for the handover of individuals wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC has indicted Col Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam and his intelligence chief for crimes against humanity.

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