Attack launched on Gadhafi’s birthplace

 TRIPOLI, Libya – Troops allied with Libya’s transitional government launched an “all-out” assault Thursday on Moammar Gadhafi’s birthplace, Sirte, reaching the coastal city’s outskirts on several fronts, government spokesmen said.

 It was the largest military operation since Tripoli fell last month to rebel forces, forcing Gadhafi, his family and loyalist officials to flee.

 Mohammed Darrat, a spokesman for the rebel administration in the city of Misrata, about 110 miles northwest of Sirte, said troops had advanced into Sirte and met minimal resistance.

 The transitional government’s claims could not be immediately verified. Battlefield reports during the Libyan conflict have been notoriously inaccurate.

 Sirte is one of three major cities still held by forces loyal to Gadhafi, who has urged his supporters to fight to the death.

Los Angeles Times