Libya’s revolutionary forces say they have stepped up a siege around Muammar Qadhafi’s hometown of Sirte to wear down his loyalist forces inside.
The fighters have set up new roadblocks and checkpoints and posted snipers at key spots on Sunday.
The move comes after a heavy push by the fighters into the edge of the downtown that failed to dislodge Col. Qadhafi’s men inside Sirte on Saturday. Seven fighters were killed and 150 were wounded in fierce street battles with Col. Qadhafi’s men.
The revolutionaries took Tripoli last month, effectively ending Col. Qadhafi’s rule and sending him into hiding. But his loyalists still hold Sirte, as well as Bani Walid and pockets in south Libya.
Officer Osama Nuttawa al-Swehli says NATO hit four targets in Sirte in pre-dawn airstrikes.
