Moammar Gadhafi loyalists seize Libyan town

Tue Jan 24th 2012

An official and a commander say Moammar Gadhafi loyalists have seized control of a Libyan town and raised the ousted regime's green flag.

The retaking of Bani Walid comes as Libya's new leaders have struggled to stamp out lingering resistance from pro-Gadhafi forces and unify the country three months after Gadhafi was captured and killed.

Mubarak al-Fatamni, the head of Bani Walid local council, said Tuesday that hundreds of well-equipped and highly trained remnants of Gadhafi's forces seized the western city late Monday.

Rebel commander Ali al-Fatamni, who is following the situation in Benghazi, says he has lost contact with revolutionary fighters in the town.