Libyan provisional government forces entered the Muammar Gadhafi stronghold of Sirte on Saturday and came under heavy sniper fire as NATO planes roared overhead, Reuters journalists reported.
Huge plumes of black smoke rose over Sirte as National Transitional Council (NTC) forces massed in Zafran Square about 1 km from the center of town, where gunfire could be heard as NTC fighters moved tanks and mortars into the square.