"We have resumed combat operations and we have advanced from the northern front as well as from the south," said Musa Yunis, who heads the National Transitional Council (NTC) forces in Bani Walid, a desert oasis town some 170 kilometres (100 miles) southeast of Tripoli.
NTC fighters have surrounded the town but their commanders pulled them back last week after suffering heavy losses and to prepare for a new offensive against the 1,500 pro-Kadhafi fighters thought to remain there.
A commander from the city of Zawiyah, whose forces are based south of Bani Walid, said his fighters had launched a barrage of artillery fire against the positions of the Kadhafi loyalists.
Last Sunday, the disparate forces of the new regime paid a heavy price for their lack of coordination, having to abandon control of the airport and suffering heavy casualties with 17 of their men killed and more than 80 wounded. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
