Gaddafi loyalists attack key oil town
FIGHTING in the Libyan town of Bani Walid left at least four dead last night as diehard Gaddafi supporters tried to capture the former loyalist stronghold and raised the old green Libyan flag above the town's northern gate.
Mahmoud al-Warfali, a revolutionary brigade spokesman in Bani Walid, said that as many as 150 pro-Gaddafi fighters were battling forces loyal to the National Transitional Council in the town, 110 miles south of the capital, Tripoli.
"There are around 100 and 150 men armed with heavy weapons who are attacking. We have asked for the army to intervene, but the defence ministry and NTC have let us down," he said.
He added: "We've been warning about this for the past two months."
The attack on Bani Walid is the first major assault launched by Gaddafi loyalists since the "liberation" of the country last October. (© Independent News Service)
- Portia Walker in Tripoli
Irish Independent
