Libyan govt forces say complete capture of Sirte

[1]

Libyan transitional government forces said on Thursday they had captured the last positions held by Muammar Gaddafi's loyalists in the deposed leader's home town of Sirte.

"Sirte has been liberated. There are no Gaddafi forces any more," said Colonel Yunus Al Abdali, head of operations in the eastern half of the city.

"We are now chasing his fighters who are trying to run away."

Another front line commander confirmed the capture of the Mediterranean coastal city, which was the last remaining significant bastion of pro-Gaddafi fighters almost three months after the ex-leader was overthrown by rebels.

"This is the last day of the fight," said Lieutenant Colonel Hussein Abdel Salam of the Misrata Brigade.

"Within some hours we will announce that Sirte is free."

Abdel Salam said that National Transitional Council troops were carrying out a mopping up operation in the city's Number Two residential neighbourhood, the last redoubt of Gaddafi loyalists in all of Libya.

"We are now inside to look for Gaddafi fighters hiding in the houses and for guns and weapons. We started at 6 am (0400 GMT) this morning," he said.

Reporters in the region heard sporadic gunfire in the neighbourhood during the morning as NTC fighters went house to house to root out the snipers who have inflicted heavy losses in their ranks in recent days.

Libya's new rulers have said that only once Sirte has fallen will they declare the country's liberation and begin the transition to an elected government after 42 years of Gaddafi's iron-fisted rule.

Abdel Salam said that vehicles suspected to be carrying senior Gaddafi regime figures had broken out of the neighbourhood and that NTC troops were giving chase.

NTC commanders have said that they suspect several top Gaddafi regime figures were holed up in the neighbourhood, perhaps including the fugitive strongman himself.

"We believe there are four to five important people inside," eastern front operations chief Wesam bin Hamaibi said after a meeting of top commanders on Saturday.

"We are sure that (Gaddafi's son and national security chief) Mutassim and (ousted defence minister) Abu Bakr Yunis are inside," he said.