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Fighters regroup for assault on Gadhafi stronghold bit.ly/mRSkIF
Outside Bani Walid, Libya (CNN) -- Libyan fighters regrouped outside one of Moammar Gadhafi's last bastions of support, preparing for another assault after encountering stiff resistance from troops still loyal to the ousted Libyan leader.
The fighting Saturday raged after negotiators failed to work out a deal to surrender the city of Bani Walid, southeast of Tripoli.
National Transitional Council forces don't know how many Gadhafi loyalists are in the stronghold, though they believe they are heavily armed, Abdulrahman Busin, an NTC spokesman, told CNN. Two of Gadhafi's sons -- Saif al-Islam and Mutassim -- have been previously reported to be in the town.
The intense fighting forced some National Transitional Council troops to withdraw, and left one calling for NATO warplanes to clear the way for them into the city.
"Where are you, NATO?," shouted one fighter as one of the cars carrying NTC forces was forced to turn back.
NATO confirmed its aircraft were operating Saturday near Bani Walid, though it would not confirm whether warplanes were targeting loyalists in the city.
"We do not coordinate attacks with the NTC. If they pull back -- as a military person -- that would make sense in terms of soldiering," the office of Col. Roland Lavoie, a NATO spokesman, told CNN.
The NTC said it wanted to negotiate the surrender to prevent further bloodshed and destruction, though critics believe talks would give Gadhafi's fighters more time to entrench themselves within the town.
Sticking points in the negotiation included the demand by Gadhafi loyalists for blanket pardons, NTC fighters to enter their communities unarmed, and to refrain from searching houses, the NTC said.
