NEAR BANI WALID - Libyan Defence Minister Osama Juili went to the former Muammar Gaddafi stronghold of Bani Walid on Wednesday after five people were killed in fighting there on Monday.
“Osama Juili is there, he’s touring the town,” a local official told AFP on condition of anonymity. A member of the powerful Zintan Brigade, which helped defeat the Gaddafi diehards in the desert oasis town after heavy fighting last October, confirmed the visit.
“The defence minister is there, he’s negotiating and we will find a solution to the problem. If not, we are ready to fight,” said Abdullah al-Mahdi, whose helicopter landed by the road outside the town to pick up wounded. Local officials said the clashes began with an attack by Gaddafi loyalists on a base of former rebels.