Fighters of Libya's ruling National Transitional Council said late Monday they have captured Bani Walid, one of the last bastions of fugitive Leader Moamer Gaddafi, dpa reported.
The Dubai-based Al Arabiya channel showed footage of Libyan fighters raising the new Libyan government's flag while chanting "God is Great" inside the city of Bani Walid.
Bursts of celebratory machine gun fire filled the center of Bani Walid, as the new fighters celebrated the apparent end of six-weeks of fierce battles against Gaddafi's loyalists in the city.
"The city of Bani Walid has been completely freed," one fighter told the broadcaster.
"The fighters are combing some areas of Bani Walid to make sure there are no more fighters loyal to Gaddafi," the fighter added.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced Monday that one of its teams managed to enter the city of Bani Walid and supplied its hospitals with much needed medical supplies.
Meanwhile, fighting continued in Sirte, the hometown of Gaddafi. Earlier reports said pro-Gaddafi fighters were using the residents inside the Sirte city as human shields.
"The fighters are using people who are still inside Sirte as human shields to protect themselves," a commander of the Libyan rebels told al Jazeera earlier.
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