WRAPUP 1-Gaddafi town hit as NTC chief warns still a threat: NORTH OF BANI WALID, Libya, Sept 11 - Libyan fighte...bit.ly/p5QO2k
* Gaddafi fighters resist attack on Bani Walid
* NTC forces pull back as NATO warplanes attack
* Fugitive leader a threat with "money and gold"
* Oil output to resume "in three to four days"
NORTH OF BANI WALID, Libya, Sept 11 - Libyan fighters launched an assault on one of the last bastions of ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi while the head of the provisional government arrived for the first time in the capital and warned that the fugitive former leader still posed a threat.
Fighters poured into the desert town of Bani Walid on Saturday after a deadline set by the National Transitional Council (NTC) for Gaddafi strongholds to surrender expired. Scores of men loyal to the fugitive leader put up resistance.
The provisional government, which is trying to establish its control over the entire country and restore normal life, announced that it could restart some production of the oil that underpins Libya's economy within three to four days.
Bani Walid, 150 km (95 miles) southeast of the capital, has emerged as one of the final holdout towns for Gaddafi supporters making a stand after NTC forces overran his Tripoli headquarters in late August.
Anti-Gaddafi fighters believe one or two of the ousted leader's sons may be holed up in the town. Some NTC officials have even suggested Gaddafi might be there.
NTC fighters have had the town under siege for days and said they would assault it on Saturday if it did not yield. Fighting broke out a day early on Friday both there and near Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte, one of the other few holdout cities.
NTC fighters said they had fought to within 500 m (yards) of the centre of Bani Walid on Saturday, but pulled back suddenly. NATO aircraft struck at least seven times at Gaddafi loyalist positions around the town, witnesses said.
Black plumes of smoke rose from surrounding areas as powerful explosions echoed across a rocky valley in Bani Walid's northern outskirts. A rocket fired by Gaddafi loyalists landed in the hills, kicking up clouds of dust.
