Head of Libya's NTC visits Sirte

Libya's interim chief paid a symbolic visit to Muammar Qadhafi's battle-torn hometown of Sirte on Tuesday, saying his forces needed two more days to capture the last major stronghold of the deposed leader. Taking Sirte would bring Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) a big step closer to establishing control over the vast North African nation almost two months after they seized the capital Tripoli.
NTC chairman Mustafa Abdel Jalil was driven into the coastal town in the back of a truck in a convoy of about 20 cars. Jubilant NTC fighters shouted "Martyrs, martyrs, for you, Libya!" and fired their weapons into the air in celebration in a square lying about 1.6 km (1 mile) from the front line. "All the victories are thanks to you, my revolutionary brothers," Abdel Jalil told a crowd of some 200 fighters, some of whom pushed and shoved to try to get close to him.
The NTC has said it would start the process of rebuilding Libya as a democracy only after Sirte is captured. Stiff resistance by Qadhafi fighters cornered in the centre of Sirte has kept government forces at bay. NTC forces said on Tuesday they believed Muammar Qadhafi's son Mo'tassim, his father's national security adviser, was holed up in Sirte.
"There are a few (Qadhafi-held) pockets, mainly concentrated in the 'Dollar' neighbourhood," said Colonel Mohammed Ajhseer. "According to the information we have, this is where Mo'tassim is, with another group." On the western outskirts of Sirte, a flat-bed truck drove out carrying about 30 people, including children clutching dolls and blankets. It was raining, and they were wet and shivering.
NTC forces have captured Sirte's most important landmarks, including the Ouagadougou hall, the hospital and the university. Tuesday's fighting focused on Omar al-Mokhtar street, a tree-lined thoroughfare in a well-heeled neighbourhood. A Reuters reporter said NTC fighters took cover in side streets out of sight of loyalist snipers hidden in buildings further up the road. They took turns to dart out, shouting "Allahu Akbar (God is great)", fire a few shots and rush back.