Fighters with Libya’s governing National Transitional Council have launched a new assault on the town of Sirte in an attempt to wrest control from loyalists of ousted leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi. Many civilians have been trapped in clashes over the past three weeks. Gaddafi, meanwhile, has released a new audio message urging supporters to rise up against the NTC. At a meeting in Belgium, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said he thinks the Libyan conflict is nearing its final stages.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen: “It’s clear that the end is in sight. Gaddafi forces are fighting for a lost cause. The threat to civilians is fading away. The recent positive developments in Libya are irreversible.”