Magharebia

Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) fighters on Monday (October 17th) battled Kadhafi loyalists for control of their desert redoubt Bani Walid, AFP reported. On Sunday, NTC fighters launched a fresh assault on the city 70 kilometres southeast of Tripoli.

Meanwhile, fighting died down in the other Kadhafi stronghold of Sirte. Salem Ahmed, a tank commander from Benghazi, said the NTC advance was being held up by pro-Kadhafi snipers. NTC operations are centred on two seaside residential neighbourhoods, the Dollar and Number Two, where Kadhafi loyalists are holed up.

In Tripoli, NTC forces began demolishing with bulldozers Kadhafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound, BBC reported. "It's the revolutionary decision to tear down this symbol of tyranny," NTC army officer Ahmad Ghargory said. The site will be turned into a public park. Tripoli citizens have already turned one compound courtyard into a weekly pet market.