National Transitional Council (NTC) fighters were also gearing for a fresh onslaught on the desert town of Bani Walid, another remaining bastion of forces loyal to the ousted dictator. NTC combatants ransacked the complex and destroyed posters of the fugitive Qaddafi that they found inside.
The building’s rooftop offers a panoramic view of the whole city, with the seaside 300-400 meters to the north and the massive Ouagadougou conference center, captured on Sunday, several kilometers (miles) to the south.
Libya’s interim chief paid a symbolic visit to Sirte on Tuesday, saying his forces needed two more days to capture the last major stronghold of the deposed leader.
NTC chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil was driven into the coastal town in the back of a truck in a convoy of about 20 cars.
In contrast to Monday, when NTC forces were pounded with rockets and gunfire as they battled Qaddafi loyalists street by street, they met no resistance on Tuesday.
An advance force of about 30 fighters checked each house as they moved forward from the city’s east, kicking in doors and covering each other against possible snipers hidden on rooftops.
Clothing abandoned by soldiers and remains of meals were found in some buildings.
The fighters became more cautious once they reached the city center, sticking to its edges for fear that snipers were lying in wait.
Fighters celebrated by honking the horns of their vehicles and firing into the air, but the jubilation ended abruptly when one apparently shot himself in the throat accidentally and died on the spot.
