On the outskirts of Sirte, a Libyan fighter prays before battle.<br/> These interim government fighters are preparing for another assault against diehard Muammar Gaddafi loyalists in his hometown of Sirte.<br/> Five kilometers away, they pack their pick-up trucks with weapons ahead of another day of fighting.<br/> National Transitional Council forces seized the airport just outside Sirte on Friday and moved toward the town.<br/> But Gadaffi supporters are still holding out and there's no sign of a rapid end to the siege.<br/> In a telephone interview with a Syrian television station on Friday, Gaddafi spokesman Moussa Ibrahim - in hiding like his leader - said loyalists had inflicted heavy losses on interim government fighters in Bani Walid.<br/> He said pro-Gaddafi forces were well equipped with weapons and prepared for a long fight.<br/> Sunita Rappai, Reuters
