Libyan forces on verge of claiming Sirte
Libya’s new regime forces are on the verge of claiming full control of Muammar Gaddafi’s hometown Sirte after seizing its showpiece conference centre and university from his diehards.
In their advance, fighters of the National Transitional Council (NTC) also seized control of the Mediterranean town’s hospital and university campus.
The fortress-like Ouagadougou conference centre, constructed to host pan-African summits, has been a major objective of the NTC forces since they launched a September 15 offensive on the city.
“We control 100 per cent of the Ouagadougou centre,” Mohammed al-Fayad, an NTC military chief, said on Sunday.
He said the capture “opens the way” for his forces to overrun the city centre.
“It is only a question of co-ordination between (Misrata fighters on) the western front and (Benghazi fighters on) the eastern front. We just need time.”
As he spoke, NTC fighters spread throughout the sprawling complex, tearing down portraits of the fugitive Gaddafi and the green flags of his fallen 42-year regime…