Fighters loyal to Libya’s new rulers stormed into Sirte from three fronts yesterday, the military said, in a massive assault on Muammar Gaddafi’s hometown and one of his final pockets of resistance.

“Misurata’s thwar (fighters) arrived at the Al-Gharbiyat Bridge inside Sirte,” the Misurata Military Council said, adding that “our revolutionaries have entered Sirte today on three main axes.”

A spokesman for the forces loyal to the National Transitional Council, which set out from Misurata earlier in the day, confirmed that the pro-NTC troops had entered Sirte.

“I confirm our forces are in Sirte; it is a big force,” said Fathi Bashaga, adding that one column had entered along the coastal road from the west and another from the south.

“There is still resistance but our fighters will be able to overcome it,” he told an AFP correspondent in Wadi Bey, a desert town where part of the Sirte-bound assault force was held up in a battle with Gaddafi loyalists. “They are attacking us with 40- and 43-mm mortars and all kinds of weapons.”

The military said Misurata hospital had so far received “one martyr and five wounded” from the fight in Sirte, based on initial reports.

Doctor Ibrahim Garta said there were 20 NTC wounded and one dead.

NTC forces had earlier raised their flag on the outskirts of Sirte, the military said separately.

“Misurata’s thwar at a distance of three kilometres from the Sirte – Independence flag flying over the last petrol station before the city,” the military council said in an English-language statement, referring to the new regime’s forces. A convoy of battle-hardened fighters had set out from Misurata early yesterday before splitting at the crossroads town of Abu Qurin, and a commander said they would approach Sirte in a pincer movement.

The military council said the convoy of more than 900 armoured cars aimed at “freeing the city and raising the banner of independence”.

As it rolled out of Misurata, the convoy was cheered on by residents who flashed V-for-victory signs and chanted “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest).

With heavy artillery and pickup trucks loaded with machine guns, rocket launchers and Katyusha rockets, the convoy was well stocked with food, water and ammunition.

“We are turning the tables on Gaddafi. We were attacked in Misurata on three fronts, and now we’re going to attack Sirte on three fronts,” said Fawzy Sawawy, commander of the Mountains Brigade.

One arm of the convoy took the coastal road to Sirte, another followed a looping desert road, while Mr Sawawy’s went deeper south before coming under fire at Wadi Bey.

Forces coming from the south surrounded an air base near Sirte but had not taken control of it, Bashaga said.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.