Revolutionary fighters on Friday assaulted a convention centre in the middle of Sirte that forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi turned into their main base, in what commanders said was a final offensive to crush resistance in the holdout city after weeks of siege.
The forces of Libya’s new rulers were pushing into the Mediterranean coastal city from the west, east and south in heavy fighting, trying to squeeze Gaddafi loyalists into a smaller and smaller perimeter.
The two sides battered each other with rockets, mortars and tanks, as Gadfafi snipers fired down on fighters advancing through housing complexes. At least eight revolutionary fighters were killed and 125 were wounded, doctors said.