Anti-Gadhafi Forces Claim Control of His Hometown

Fighters for Libya’s interim government say they have captured Moammar Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte after heavy fighting, reports the Guardian. "Thwar Misrata (the Misrata revolution) now control the entrances to Sirte city," said a statement from the Misrata military council. If true, and the anti-Gadhafi forces don't exactly have a sterling track record on such things, it marks a huge strategic (it's the last major coastal stronghold) and symbolic victory.

Earlier, a Gadhafi spokesman announced on Syrian TV that “thousands of fighters” were prepared to “liberate Libya” from the interim government. “We are in fact strong. We have the capabilities, the means and plans to liberate the whole of Libya,” said Moussa Ibrahim, according to the BBC. There's still no definitive word on where Gadhafi himself is. (More Libya stories.)