Updated: September 13, 2011, 12:00 AM
In pictures: Libya rebels prepare for assualt
A woman is seen through a car window as she flees the besieged city of Bani Walid September 12, 2011. Forces of Libya's new rulers met "ferocious" street-by-street resistance during an assault on one of the last bastions loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, but were edging towards the ousted ruler's birthplace of Sirte. The National Transitional Council's forces, which toppled Gaddafi last month, said they were facing about 1,000 loyalist fighters in the Gaddafi stronghold of Bani Walid, far more than the 100 to 150 men they had estimated earlier, while discipline had slipped in their own ranks. Residents fleeing Bani Walid reported intense street fighting, while NATO warplanes could be heard overhead. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (LIBYA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) *** Local Caption *** ZOH12R_LIBYA-_0912_11.JPG
A Libyan rebel rides a donkey at an outpost in Wadi Dinar in the area along the frontline with the town of Bani Walid, Libya, 11 september 2011. According to local media reports, the rebels had pushed 500 metres into the town centre, but then retreated t???
NTC fighters celebrate prior to heading to the frontline in Bani Walid, at a checkpoint between Tarhouna and Bani Walid. Alexandre Meneghini / AP Photo
An anti-Qaddafi fighter allows a young boy to look through the view finder of his rifle on the road to Bani Walid on September 12, 2011, as civilians poured out of the Libyan oasis town fearful of new fighting between Moamer Kadhafi's forces and besieging???
Anti-Gaddafi fighters pray near the north of the besieged city of Bani Walid. The National Transitional Council's forces, which toppled Gaddafi last month, said they were facing about 1,000 loyalist fighters in the Gaddafi stronghold of Bani Walid, far m???
A libyan anti-Gaddafi fighter walks past a smoke rising after the explosion of a Grad rocket launched by Gaddafi troops in Bani Walid now besieged by the rebels, in Libya, 10 September 2011. According to local source, the bombs came just a few yards from ???
Bani Walid, Libya. September 12, 2011. Anti-Gaddafi fighters cheer and shoot in the air as they drive a Grad multiple rocket launcher they said they had captured from pro-Gaddafi forces. Zohra Bensemra / Reuters
Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) fighters gather about one kilometre from the outskirts of Bani Walid, southeast of Tripoli, as the deadline expires for forces loyal to ousted Libyan strongman Moamer Qaddafi to surrender, with fighters of the c???
Men sign up as volunteers at a makeshift registry desk for anti-Gaddafi forces to fight on the frontline for the besieged city of Bani Walid as NTC forces step up fighting for control of one of Muammar Gaddafi's last remaining strongholds. Zohra Bensemra ???