USA TODAY:… Libya’s new leaders say Sirte’s fall is critical to formally declaring liberation and setting a timeline for elections — even if fighting persists elsewhere and the ousted leader is nowhere to be found — more than six weeks after the then-rebels seized control of the capital and most other parts of the country…
Anti-Gadhafi fighters pushed into the Mediterranean coastal city from the west, east and south in heavy fighting, trying to squeeze his supporters into a smaller and smaller perimeter. The two sides battered each other with rockets, mortar shells and tank fire, as Gadhafi snipers fired down on fighters advancing through housing complexes. Friday’s push marked the largest new assault on the city in weeks. The former rebels had said they were delaying a final push to allow civilians to escape…
A U.S. administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, said that 80 percent of the city was now pacified or under the control of the transitional government. The official said the remaining area might take a little more time as forces move methodically to eliminate the resistance… (more)
