Libyan Opposition Fighters Tighten Net Around Qaddafi Hometown

Libyan opposition fighters tightened their cordon around Sirte, the hometown of Muammar Qaddafi and one of the country’s last loyalist strongholds, as NATO said it was preparing to wind down its mission there.

Interim government forces, who have been shelling Qaddafi loyalists in Sirte backed by NATO air strikes, are seeking a two-day truce to allow civilians to escape the coastal city. A family of four was killed by machinegun fire as they fled Sirte yesterday, the Associated Press reported yesterday.