Under arrest: Libya's new regime fighters detain an alleged Gaddafi loyalist in Sirte
This fighter is clearly keeping calm amidst the fierce battle to take control of the Libyan town of Sirte, one of the last strongholds of fugitive leader Muammar Gaddafi.
As he stands surrounded by gunmen in front of a pock-marked wall, the area around his feet strewn with bullet casings, the man seems to be simply playing his guitar while his comrades attempt to gain ground from pro-Gaddafi forces.
The striking image comes as speculation mounts that Gaddafi could gain safe passage through Niger to Mali - where he reportedly has a house in the town of Timbuktu.
Relaxing: One fighter appears to take little notice of the devastation around him as he serenades his comrades
Battle song: The soldier carries on playing amidst a fierce gunfight on the streets of Sirte
Earlier, images emerged of a rebel dressed in camouflage and armed with a rifle, lounging in a four-poster bed formerly owned by Gaddafi himself.
A second rebel laughs at his comrade's antics, while others inspect bed linen in the wreckage of a bedroom at a now-derelict palace in the former leader's home city of Sirte.
Rebel forces have besieged Sirte since mid-September and are still facing fierce resistance from loyalists trying to control Gaddafi's home city. But they are making sure but steady progress.
Down time: Libyan rebels rest in the bed of their country's ousted leader Muammar Gadhafi in a palace in Sirte, Libya
Inspection: Rebels take time out from fighting to have a look around Gaddafi's bedroom
Blast: Anti-Gaddafi fighters fire a rocket from the roof of their car as they struggle to control the town
An official on Libya's governing council said Gaddafi was hiding in the southwestern desert near the borders with Niger and Algeria. But he denied allegations that the Tuareg minority ethnic group was protecting him.
Moussa al-Kouni, Tuareg representative on the revolution's leadership body, claimed yesterday that Gaddafi had sent his son Khamis to the area in June to set up a radio station.
He was also there to make preparations for a possible escape route, he claimed. That was two months before Tripoli fell to revolutionary forces at the end of August.
Attack: A rebel fighter fires an RPG during a street battle in the 700 complex area of Emarat in Sirte
Fighting: Rebels launch a rocket toward the desert city of Bani Walid from an outpost on the outskirts of the city
Al-Kouni provided no evidence, and said he based his assertion on the fact the Gaddafi regime had used the area before because it has rough terrain and porous borders that would make detection difficult.
He also pointed out that Gaddafi had cultivated close ties with the Niger government and could even be going back and forth across the border.
He said: 'As far as I am aware, Gaddafi is in that region, on the border with Niger.'
And he added that Gaddafi could get safe passage through Niger, where his son al-Saadi has been placed under house arrest, to Mali.
There has been much speculation about Gaddafi's whereabouts since the erratic leader and two of his sons went underground as revolutionary forces swept into the capital.
Celebration: Libya's new regime fighters cheer during battles in Sirte with forces loyal to Gaddafi
Besieged: Libyan revolutionary fighters attack pro-Gaddafi forces today in Sirte
Libya's new rulers have vowed Gaddafi will face justice for crimes committed during more than four decades of brutal rule.
But more than seven weeks after Tripoli's fall, authorities appear no closer to capturing him and the fugitive former leader continues to try to rally supporters with audio messages from hiding, most recently on Thursday.
The head of the National Transitional Council, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, told reporters on Sunday that the governing authority had no confirmed information about Gaddafi's location and he did not know whether the fugitive leader was inside or outside Libya.
Some military officials have alleged Tuaregs are helping Gaddafi survive and remain hidden in the vast southern desert.
The nomadic community, which spans the desert border of Niger, Mali, Libya, Algeria and Chad, has long been among Gaddafi's strongest supporters and many fought for him during the civil war.
In contact: Libya's new regime fighters walk past a damaged car during battles with forces loyal to Gadafi in the streets of Sirte
Defending: A Libyan fighter fires a heavy machine gun during battles on Sirte's streets
Al-Kouni acknowledged that some of Gaddafi's Tuareg recruits may still be helping him but insisted the community as a whole was not.
He expressed concern that the allegations were causing harmful divisions between Tuaregs and other Libyans.
Revolutionary forces still battling Gaddafi loyalists have made gains in recent days on two major fronts, his coastal hometown of Sirte and the inland enclave of Bani Walid, but still face fierce resistance.
The transitional leadership, eager to move forward with efforts to hold elections and establish a democracy, has said it will declare Libya liberated after Sirte falls.
Anti-Gaddafi fighters raised their tricolor flag yesterday over Sirte's Ouagadougou Convention Centre, which had been used by loyalists as a base.
But fighting surged elsewhere in the town. Tank, rocket and machine-gun fire echoed through the surrounding streets.
Drama: Anti-Gaddafi fighters fire a rocket during clashes with pro-Gaddafi forces at the frontline in Sirte
Colonel Younis al-Abdally, a commander in Sirte, said his troops have surrounded pro-Gaddafi fighters in a small area along the upscale Dollar Street.
He conceded that a fierce fight still lies ahead and said that information indicated that one of Gaddafi's sons and a number of top officials of the former regime are holed up in villas there.
Artillery commander Mahmoud Mustafa said Gaddafi's son Moatassim was believed to be hiding in Dollar Street or one of two other areas where fighting still raged, so revolutionary forces were trying to capture pro-Gaddafi fighters alive.
He said: 'We believe there are some important figures, including Moatassim, and that is the reason we have faced such strong resistance for weeks.'
A team from the International Committee of the Red Cross entered Sirte's Ibn Sina Hospital yesterday to evacuate wounded people left behind after three weeks of fighting.
More than 100 patients, including several wounded children and their families, were trapped in the hospital, said Dr Abdallah Etbiga.
In Bani Walid, the other remaining bastion of Gaddafi loyalists, revolutionary fighters retreated from the town center after facing heavy sniper fire and booby-traps.
But they still held the airport and two villages to the south, said Abdullah Kenshil, who led failed talks for the town's peaceful surrender.
Gaddafi forces also attacked revolutionaries at the town's northern gate on Monday but were repelled, he said, adding four fighters were killed and six wounded in that battle.
Taking cover: An anti-Gaddafi fighter peers out of an apartment window
SOURCE: DailyMail
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