Libyan Rebels Overwhelm Gaddafi's Bastion Bani Walid

Libyan rebels take a rest during the battle to liberate the city of Sirte, Libya. EPA/BGNES

Bani Walid, one of the last two remaining bastions of fugitive Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, has been captured by the forces of the Libyan rebels, i.e. the Transitional National Council.

Representatives of the rebel command have declared Bani Walid, 170 km southeast of Tripoli, to have been "fully liberated," Al Jazeera reported.

A correspondent on the ground is quoted as saying that 95% of the town is in the hands of the rebel forces.

The TNC's victory at Bani Walid came after three days of pretty heavy fighting, and a fierce attack by the rebel forces using a lot of heavy weapons and tanks.

Meanwhile, Transitional National Council forces are also keeping up their siege of Sirte, Gaddafi's birthplace and his final coastal stronghold.

The television station based in Syria that supports Gaddafi has confirmed that the deposed Libyan leader's son Khamis had died in fighting southeast of the capital Tripoli on August 29.

The rebels hope that the last remaining Gaddafi bastion, Sirte, will be overwhelmed in the next few days, while also expecting to capture the fugitive dictator himself, whose whereabouts remain a mystery.

On Sunday, in Sirte, TNC fighters have launched a fresh attack, using tanks and other heavy weaponry.

The fighters reorganized their ranks and launched a fresh offensive by tanks and artillery fire at Gaddafi troops, supported by additional reinforcements, besides ongoing NATO air raids on sites where Gaddafi troops were hiding.

The Libyan civil war has been raging since February 2011, with the rebel forces starting to prevail only in the months, capturing Tripoli on August 21, 2011.

Earlier on Monday, the rebel authorities started to destroy the Bab al-Aziziya compound of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi in the capital Tripoli.

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