The National Transitional Council's forces as revolutionary fighters continued their offensive to seize control of Sirte from former Al Qathafi loyalists who keep on stubbornly defending the leader's hometown. At the same time, hundreds of families packed up their personal belongings and tried to flee the besieged city.

The exodus of fleeing residents from one of only two remaining Al Qathafi bastions grew larger on Friday, as they tried hard to escape a town that has for weeks been under heavy bombardment and shelling from the new rulers' fighters and NATO from three fronts.

With mortar and gunfire echoing in the background, with black smoke rising from the centre of the city and with NATO jets flying overhead, the NTC fighters did their part by launching an assault on the coastal city in an effort to dislodge the deposed leader's loyalists,

Sirte civilians, men, women and children, fearing for their lives joined long lines of cars that queued up at NTC checkpoints leading out of the town to be checked and the people inside them identified. There is also great concern for civilians still trapped inside the city of about 100,000 people.

Aid agencies said this week that a humanitarian disaster loomed in Sirte amid rising casualties and shrinking supplies of water, electricity and food, with doctors at a field hospital near the eastern front line saying an elderly woman died from malnutrition on Friday morning. They also witnessed other cases of malnutrition.

AL Qathafi loyalists and some civilians have accused NATO air raids and shelling by the forces of the NTC of killing civilians. But both NATO and the NTC deny the accusations. Civilians coming out of Sirte say pro-Al Qathafi fighters are executing people they believe to be NTC sympathisers.

Reports say families have not eaten for days and the wounded are unable to be transported to hospitals for treatment., while medical sources have been reported saying that even if the wounded do reach hospitals, doctors are unable to tend to their injuries due to lack of power and limited supplies.

As such, according to a UN source, the NTC has asked the UN for fuel for ambulances to evacuate its wounded fighters from Sirte. He went on to tell Reuters that the UN is sending trucks of drinking water for the civilians crammed into vehicles on the road from Sirte, heading either towards Benghazi to the east or Misurata to the west.

He went on to say that fighting around the city and continuing insecurity around Bani Walid, the other Al Qathafi bastion, are preventing the world body from deploying aid workers inside.

"There are two places we'd really like access to, Sirte and Bani Walid, because of concern on the impact of conflict on the civilian population," he said

Al Qathafi Spokesman Captured ...Tried to Escape Dressed as a Woman

Meanwhile, AFP has been told by NTC field commanders that Muammar Al Qathafi's spokesman Moussa Ibrahim was captured on Thursday outside Sirte. He was reportedly trying to escape dressed as a woman.

Mustafa bin Dardef, of the NTC's Zintan Brigade said that they had been contacted by Misurata fighters informing them that Moussa Ibrahim was captured.

Another commander, Mohammed al-Marimi confirmed the news, saying that, that Ibrahim was captured by fighters from Misurata while driving outside Sirte.

Ibrahim became the Al Qathafi' regime's voice throughout the conflict, lecturing and haranguing foreign media at the Rixos Hotel in Tripoli, as rebel forces challenged the regime's authority and advanced on the capital.

Only a week ago Moussa Ibrahim was quoted by Damascus based Arrai television calling on fighters still loyal to Al Qathafi to continue resisting the rebel troops. He denounced the rebels as traitors and accused NATO of using its weaponry to commit genocide.