SIRTE, Libya, Oct 19 (Reuters) – Libyan interim government
fighters relaunched their offensive on the besieged town of
Sirte on Wednesday after being pushed back by die-hard Muammar
Gaddafi loyalists holed up in the deposed leader’s home town.

Hundreds of National Transitional Council (NTC) troops have
surrounded the Mediterranean coastal town for weeks in a chaotic
struggle to snuff out the last pocket of resistance against the
revolution that ended Gaddafi’s 42-year rule.

SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) – Onto a battlefield littered with bizarre homemade weaponry, Libya’s ruling militia fighters have rolled out their weirdest contraption yet: a concrete and steel behemoth that’s a cross between a bulldozer and a battleship.

The towering monster, which appeared Wednesday in Sirte to help capture Muammar Gaddafi’s home town, has a battleship’s pointed prow and portholes along its sides with steel covers that can be pulled down.

TRIPOLI/SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Libya on Tuesday to urge its disparate militias to unite around their new leaders, while loyalists of ousted Muammar Gaddafi launched a counter-attack in his hometown of Sirte.

Clinton is the most senior U.S. official to come to Tripoli since Gaddafi’s 42-year rule ended in August. Her visit was marked by tight security, reflecting worries that Libya’s new rulers have yet to establish full control over the country.

TRIPOLI/SIRTE, Libya, Oct 19 (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton hailed “Libya’s victory” during a visit to
Tripoli but fighters loyal to Muammar Gaddafi were still holding
out in his home town, underscoring the challenges facing the
country’s new leaders.

Clinton is the most senior U.S. official to come to Tripoli
since Gaddafi’s 42-year rule ended in August. Her visit was
marked by tight security, reflecting worries that Libya’s new
rulers have yet to establish full control over the country.

TRIPOLI/SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Libya on Tuesday to meet the new leaders Washington helped into power, but die-hard forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi launched a surprise counter-attack in his hometown of Sirte.

The visit by Clinton, the most senior U.S. official to come Tripoli since Gaddafi’s 42 year rule was ended, was marked by tight security, reflecting worries that the new rulers have yet to establish full control over the country.

SIRTE, Oct 16 (Reuters)- Libyan government fighters battled
on Sunday to subdue pockets of resistance by pro-Gaddafi
fighters, whose refusal to abandon the ousted leader’s hometown
of Sirte is delaying Libya’s move to democracy.

Ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) forces kept up
their bombardment of a small area in the centre of Sirte but
there was no push under way from ground troops.

SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) – Libyan government forces brought more tanks into the city of Sirte on Friday to try to break the last pocket of resistance by loyalists of ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi in his home town.

The mostly untrained militia army of the National Transitional Council (NTC) has been gradually tightening its strangle-hold around Sirte for weeks in a chaotic struggle that has cost scores of lives and left thousands homeless.

SIRTE, Libya, Oct 14 (Reuters) – Libyan government forces
brought more tanks into the city of Sirte on Friday to try to
break the last pocket of resistance by loyalists of ousted
leader Muammar Gaddafi in his home town.

The mostly untrained militia army of the National
Transitional Council (NTC) has been gradually tightening its
strangle-hold around Sirte for weeks in a chaotic struggle that
has cost scores of lives and left thousands homeless.

SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) – Fighters loyal to Muammar Gaddafi fought a last-ditch battle in an ever shrinking pocket of resistance in the ousted leader’s hometown Sirte on Thursday.

National Transitional Council (NTC) commanders moved up tanks to fire at buildings from close range to try to dislodge the remaining Gaddafi snipers who are now surrounded on all sides in one small part of the city.

SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) – When Libyan government fighters seized the vacant home of Muammar Gaddafi’s daughter, Aisha, the wealth and opulence they found sent some of them into a rage.

One fighter walked through the door and sprayed the interior with bullets from his Kalashnikov rifle. “She’s a bitch,” he said. “She has a nice house. They are rich. They do not care about us.”