The new control of Sirte signals completion of a major objective. Photo / AFP
The new control of Sirte signals completion of a major objective. Photo / AFP
Forces of Libya's new regime 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.
The fortress-like conference centre, constructed to host pan-African summits, has been a major objective of the National Transitional Council forces sincethey 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.
The NTC forces also took control of Sirte's university and its new campus, a huge site where Gaddafi snipers had been picking them off from unfinished buildings.
Meanwhile, in Bani Walid, NTC forces say they have taken control of the airport in Bani Walid.
