FORCES from Libya's new regime launched a fierce assault on two areas of Muammar Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte, as their comrades clashed with supporters of the fallen strongman in the capital. The latest offensive in Sirte, aimed at mopping up remaining pockets of stiff resistance, came a day after Transitional National Council (TNC) combatants were forced to withdraw under a hail of withering sniper fire. Meanwhile in a return to violence in Tripoli, Ghadafi loyalists traded shots with TNC fighters in an area known as a support base for the former dictator, leaving at least eight people injured.