NTC forces take Sirte university
- 13 years ago
Libyan government forces captured landmark buildings in a thrust towards the centre of Muammar Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte.
But they soon came under fierce counter attack which inflicted dozens of casualties.
The National Transitional Council (NTC) forces captured Sirte's main hospital, the university and a lavishly built international conference centre, but one large group of anti-Gaddafi fighters fled in disarray after coming under an intense volley of mortar fire.
While Reuters correspondents had entered the landmark buildings, and confirmed their capture, intense fighting was taking place around all three buildings, and it was unclear whether they were still in provisional government hands.
One large group of NTC fighters approached Sirte from the west and tried to pin down Gaddafi loyalists against the sea, but their advance turned into a rout, under heavy and accurate mortar bombardments.
Their trademark pick-up trucks raced to the rear, some running on flat tyres.
One man with arm and leg wounds frantically limped away from the carnage, as commanders screamed over the radios for their troops to pull back.
Soon seven fighters lay dead in a field hospital, while dozens more were being treated for shrapnel wounds.
The speed of the reversal underlines the fragility of government advances and the weight of the task still ahead of them despite their leaders' upbeat assessment of the fight.
But they soon came under fierce counter attack which inflicted dozens of casualties.
The National Transitional Council (NTC) forces captured Sirte's main hospital, the university and a lavishly built international conference centre, but one large group of anti-Gaddafi fighters fled in disarray after coming under an intense volley of mortar fire.
While Reuters correspondents had entered the landmark buildings, and confirmed their capture, intense fighting was taking place around all three buildings, and it was unclear whether they were still in provisional government hands.
One large group of NTC fighters approached Sirte from the west and tried to pin down Gaddafi loyalists against the sea, but their advance turned into a rout, under heavy and accurate mortar bombardments.
Their trademark pick-up trucks raced to the rear, some running on flat tyres.
One man with arm and leg wounds frantically limped away from the carnage, as commanders screamed over the radios for their troops to pull back.
Soon seven fighters lay dead in a field hospital, while dozens more were being treated for shrapnel wounds.
The speed of the reversal underlines the fragility of government advances and the weight of the task still ahead of them despite their leaders' upbeat assessment of the fight.