Libya - Oct 6, 2011 - 20:49

Libya's new rulers sent reinforcements on Thursday to the desert city of Bani Walid, where a campaign to capture the stronghold of Gaddafi has ground to a halt, a senior commander said.

Mussa Ali Yunes, commander of the Jado Brigade, also insisted that Gaddafi's son, Seif al-Islam was inside the city, along with a large number of allies, and that there was a 50 per cent chance Gaddafi himself was there.

"We are heading for the southern front of Bani Walid," 170 kilometres southeast of Tripoli, Yunes said, referring to a column of 1,000 men and hundreds of vehicles.

The troops were dispatched from Gargaresh, about 10 kilometres from the capital.