Fighters loyal to Gaddafi took control of a town south-east of the capital
yesterday, flying their green flags in defiance of the country's fragile new
government. The fightback by Gaddafi supporters defeated in Libya's civil war, though
unlikely to spread elsewhere, added to the problems besetting a government
which in the past week has been reeling from one crisis to another. Accounts
from the town of Bani Walid, about 200 km (120 miles) from Tripoli,
described armed Gaddafi supporters attacking the barracks of the
pro-government militia in the town and then forcing them to fall back. "They
control the town now. They are roaming the town," said a fighter with the
28th May militia, loyal to Libya's ruling National Transitional Council
(NTC), which came under attack.The fighter told Reuters the loyalists were
flying "brand new green flags" from the centre of town. The flags were
symbols of Gaddafi's 42-year rule. A resident said four people were killed
and 20 wounded in the fighting, during which the sides used heavy weapons.