Take Sirte News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Rebels can be laid on the coalition. >> if you come over here, that had been success that the coalitiowas celebrating and that the opposition was celebrating. this was them, they're the green, they were moving this way, just yesterday. yesterday they had their strongholds in benghazi, they had taken back ras lanuf, bin jawad. they were going to take sirte, and go towards tripoli. but this is what happened in the last 24 hours. the regime coming this way. it's one day. you can't score a battle in one day. but if you're the president of the united states and you're cautious about the opposition,...

60 miles from sirte, where gadhafi's son is digging in. richard engel explains why this fight is so pivotal. >> sirte is incredibly important. if sirte falls, it's a military garrison town, the rebels will be right on the door step of tripoli. the problem is, they are not making progress, and gadhafi's forces pushed the rebels back several more miles. gadhafi's troops are dug in, created a defensive perimeter around sirte and are preparing for a final stand there. and its increasingly clear that without more western intervention, more powerful military strikes, the rebels simply aren't going t...

Or thousands or the tens of thousands? how large an army do they have? because they're talking about some of these cities are 700,000 people. >> it is a very impromptu force. they don't have specific battalions or platoons. people just show up and the numbers are big. i would certainly say thousands. thousands of armed people that are driving in the direction of sirte right now. manufacture them are civilians. they'll pick up a gun for a day. they'll go out to the front line, go back to their jobs the next day. the more they gain momentum, the more people are joining the cause. they're not par...

And rebel groups. is it your sense that this group, the opposition we're backing is armed and prepared to take out moammar gadhafi? >> well, when they have this much help, they are. when they didn't have western air strikes they were not. this rebel movement was almost completely defeated with gadhafi's tanks starting to enter benghazi where i am right now. now after almost two weeks of western air strikes, the rebels are driving through cleared territory and are approaching sirte. the rebels say they need a few more weeks. don't stop now, the rebels say. they have the momentum in their favor....

Obliterad by the roadside. rebels have simp gotten in their cars and are driving toward tripoli and they're meeting no resistance as they go. town to town, hoisting their flags, honking their horns. they have reached the outskirts of sirte and fighting is ongoing in sirte, we are told. that is a very significant town. sirte is closer to tripoli. it is gadhafi's hometown. it also has a military base. if the rebels were able to take sirte, then it wouldn't be a big leap for them to push right to the door step of tripoli. gadhafi's forces could be holding out for a final stand in sirte. and that ...