Supporters of deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi have seized control of the town of Bani Walid after clashes with a group loyal to the new government, the Doha-based Al-Jazeera television reported late Monday. Bani Walid, 140 kilometers southeast of Tripoli, was one of the last bastions of followers of the late ruler. The head of the Libyan National Transitional Council, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, said a force from the Libyan defense ministry headed to the area to contain the situation, but played down reports that the city was seized by Gaddafi loyalists. On his part, Libyan Interior Minister Fawzi Abdelali said that “the information we have says that there are internal problems between the people of this city and this is the reason for what happened.”
