NORTH OF BANI WALID/EAST OF SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) – Libyan fighters trying to capture one of Muammar Gaddafi’s last strongholds battled for control of the desert town of Bani Walid on Saturday and Gaddafi loyalists hit back with rockets.

Despite the bombardment, columns of vehicles drove toward the front line, with fighters in pick-up trucks shaking their fists in the air and shouting “Here come the Libyans.”

NORTH OF BANI WALID/EAST OF SIRTE, Libya, Sept 10 (Reuters)
- Libyan fighters launched assaults on the final bastions of
Muammar Gaddafi loyalists on Friday, with battles reported
inside the holdout town of Bani Walid and near the ousted
ruler’s home town of Sirte.

The battles erupted a day before a deadline set by Libya’s
interim National Transitional Council (NTC) for pro-Gaddafi
outposts to surrender or face onslaughts.

NORTH OF BANI WALID/EAST OF SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) – Fighters loyal to Libya’s new rulers launched what appeared to be assaults on the final bastions of Muammar Gaddafi loyalists on Friday, with fighting reported inside the town of Bani Walid and near Gaddafi’s home town of Sirte.

The battles at the two towns broke out a day before a deadline set by Libya’s interim National Transitional Council for Gaddafi holdout towns to surrender or face onslaughts.

NORTH OF BANI WALID, Libya (Reuters) – Fighters representing Libya’s new rulers encircled and entered Bani Walid, one of the last towns loyal to ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi Friday, and fought with gunmen in street-to-street battles.

Libya’s interim rulers had set a Saturday deadline for several holdout towns to surrender, but fighters surrounding Bani Walid, 150 km (95 miles) southeast of Tripoli, decided to go in early saying they wanted to protect civilians.

NORTH OF BANI WALID/EAST OF SIRTE, Libya Sept 9 (Reuters) -
Muammar Gaddafi loyalists fired rocket barrages at fighters
besieging two Libyan towns still under the deposed leader’s
control on Friday as fierce fighting erupted a day ahead of a
deadline for their surrender.

They unleashed volleys of Grad rockets at forces of Libya’s
National Transitional Council (NTC) north of Bani Walid and east
of Gaddafi’s home town, Sirte, Reuters witnesses said.

NORTH OF BANI WALID/EAST OF SIRTE, Libya Sep 9 (Reuters) -
Heavy fighting erupted outside the two main bastions of Muammar
Gaddafi’s supporters left in Libya on Friday as fighters loyal
to the fugitive leader unleashed barrages of rockets on
provisional government forces closing in on the towns.

Regular volleys of Grad rockets were fired on National
Transitional Council positions north of Bani Walid and east of
Gaddafi’s hometown, Sirte, on Friday, Reuters witnesses said.

WISHTATA, Libya (Reuters) – - Libya’s new rulers sent a column of extra fighters toward the tribal bastion of Bani Walid overnight, preparing a showdown with supporters of ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi, possibly including his sons or even Gaddafi himself.

Gaddafi, in a call to a Syrian-owned TV station on Thursday, vowed continued resistance to the rebels and NATO and said a military convoy that entered neighboring Niger this week, fueling speculation he might be about to flee, was “not the first.

WISHTATA, Libya, Sept 8 (Reuters) – - Libya’s new rulers
sent a column of extra fighters towards the tribal bastion of
Bani Walid overnight, preparing a showdown with supporters of
ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi, possibly including his sons or
even Gaddafi himself.

Gaddafi’s whereabouts have been a mystery since rebel
fighters stormed his Tripoli headquarters two weeks ago. Bani
Walid, one of the few towns still in the hands of his followers,
has refused to surrender despite a stand-off lasting days.

* Pro-Gaddafi bastion Bani Walid still holding out

* Residents without electricity, communications

* Provisional government bracing for battle

By Maria Golovnina

WISHTATA, Libya, Sept 7 (Reuters – Haunted by gun-toting
loyalists and festooned with faded portraits of Muammar Gaddafi,
the besieged Libyan town of Bani Walid remains stubbornly in the
hands of die-hard gunmen raring to fight for their deposed
leader.

Anti-Gaddafi fighters at the gates of Bani Walid, one of the
last remaining strongholds of the old regime, have so far failed
to convince the town’s pro-Gaddafi masters to lay down their
arms and surrender.

NORTH OF BANI WALID, Libya (Reuters) – Representatives of Libya’s ruling interim council said they were preparing to take over a desert town held by loyalists of Muammar Gaddafi after reaching an agreement with tribal elders on Tuesday, but disagreed on whether to use force.

The fractious talks involving tribal elders from Bani Walid, south of Tripoli have been running for several days.