City of Sirte to be liberated within the week - NTC
Final assault slowed down by street fighting, Gaddafi still at large and liberation is expected within the week according to the National Transition Council.
The National Transitional Council (NTC) have said that national liberation will be declared once Sirte falls even if Gaddafi is not found.
Heavy street fighting is still being observes around Sirte’s city centre and pro-Gaddafi forces have also taken control of the desert enclave of Bani Walid but is not considered important since it does not lead to any exit routes from Libya.
"I do believe, God willing, that the liberation of these cities [Sirte and Bani Walid] will happen within this week," NTC chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil said.
NTC forces launched a “final assault” on Sirte on Friday to push pro-Gaddafi fighters back towards the city centre but were slowed down on Saturday by street fighting in order to take control Gaddafi’s city.
The main hospital, the university and the Ouagadougou conference centre have been captured by NTC.
"We took 50 prisoners. They were mostly mercenaries. They were lying in beds pretending to be wounded. Some were wounded. We found Kalashnikov and other weapons under their beds," NTC field commander Osama Swehli Muttawa said.