Anti-Gadhafi forces take over port in Sirte

Fierce fighting resulted in Libya's interim government forces advancing Tuesday into the port in Sirte, Moammar Gadhafi's birthplace where the fallen leader still has a following.

Sirte and Bani Walid remain the last two contested places in Libya. NATO said Tuesday that about 200,000 of Libya's roughly 6 million people remain under threat in those two areas.

The seizure of the port followed fierce clashes with Gadhafi fighters, a senior military commander in Tripoli said. The extent of casualties was not immediately known.

Power over the Mediterranean port has changed hands before -- anti-Gadhafi fighters have previously taken the port during the day and retreated at night.

"We consider it contested," said NATO military spokesman Col. Roland Lavoie about Sirte. "So it means that a big part of the town is controlled by Gadhafi forces."

He said National Transitional Council forces have made significant gains in Sirte over the last three days but it would be "premature to go farther than that" in making an assessment.Meanwhile, in the eastern city of Benghazi, transitional council members were meeting for a third day to discuss forming a government.

Council members previously agreed the government should include a premier, a vice premier and 22 ministers.

But an announcement of the new government's creation should be contingent on wresting control of all cities from forces loyal to Gadhafi, said senior council member Abdulrazag Elaradi.

The meetings began Sunday, and the formation of a government could take up to a week.

The council said it will expand as cities are liberated to ensure representation in all regions of the country.

The council announced Saturday that it had advanced into Sirte following 24 hours of NATO aerial bombardments.

"Among the reports emerging from Sirte are executions, hostage-taking and the calculated targeting of individuals, families, and communities within the city," NATO has said. The organization has also pointed to mercenaries employed by the pro-Gadhafi side and civilians denied access to critical food, water and medical care.

The battle for Sirte has been difficult because Gadhafi loyalists have been using snipers and advanced weapons such as machine guns, according to the revolutionary fighters.