Libyan National Transitional Council prepared to unveil a new government on Sunday, as it forces were facing harsh resistance in the towns that were still held by ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi loyalists.

Libyan National Transitional Council prepared to unveil a new government on Sunday, as it forces were facing harsh resistance in the towns that were still held by ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi loyalists.

A Last-minute haggling delayed the announcement of the new government line-up, a National Transitional Council official said.
NTC number two Mahmud Jibril, a former Gaddafi regime official, stood accused by some of his colleagues of failing to consult enough with long-standing grass roots opposition groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, the official said.

Jibril was still expected to retain his post as interim prime minister, while Ali Tarhuni was touted to be named vice president in charge of economic affairs.
The defense portfolio was expected to go to Osama al-Juwili and oil to Abdel Rahman bin Yezza.

FIERCE CLASHES
Fighters loyal to the new government prepared for a new advance on Sirte, on the Mediterranean coast,  a day after retreating under heavy artillery fire following two hours of clashes.

Troops moving in from the east planned an assault around the village of Harawa that would bring them to within 50 to 60 kilometers of Sirte, the home town of Gaddafi.
 "Yesterday we faced a lot of resistance and we expect the same today”, operations command spokesman Ahmed al-Zlitni told AFP.

Doctors at a field hospital reported at least 10 killed and 40 wounded in the fighting in Sirte.
Commander Salem Jeha, a member of Misrata Military Council, told AFP that "we are now concentrated in a handful of buildings in the city and on the outskirts including Wadi Abu Hadi, where Gaddafi’s forces are concentrated."

Front line fighters and commanders gave contrasting reports of progress in Sirte, with men on the ground acknowledging they were facing a tough enemy and those in charge downplaying the pockets of resistance.
"We don't even have five percent of Sirte because we just go in and out," said fighter Abdul Rauf al-Mansuri.
However, the NTC claimed that "in a few days the situation will completely change in Sirte and Bani Walid which will be under our control."

NATO RESUMES RAIDS
Meanwhile, NATO kept up its pounding of Kadhafi's remaining armour. The alliance said its aircraft hit 11 targets around Sirte on Saturday.
They also hit 11 targets in the Al-Jufra oasis and three in Sabha in the deep south.