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"But on the other side they are shooting at us with heavy machine guns and artillery," he said.
Explosions shook the Mediterranean city with a population of 130,000 as fighters backed by tanks advanced at a measured pace through the desert scrub.
But a southeastern road, leading to a roundabout at the heart of deadly clashes Saturday, was sealed off with a new checkpoint and the area was relatively calm, an AFP TV journalist said.
"We are trying to get out family and children step by step," Feturi said, adding that rebels had cleared key roads leading out of the city to allow families to leave.
A spokesman for the military council of Misrata, which is the command node for the Sirte offensive, said the fate of civilians lay in their own hands.
"Anyone who wants to get out of their houses we can help but we can do nothing for those who stay inside," said Fathi Bashaga.
NTC forces, which had pulled out of central Sirte under a rain of rockets late Saturday, approached anew the stronghold of diehard pro-Kadhafi loyalists in a pincer move.
"Our brothers from the east side are advancing from Bin Jawad. From the south side we have a lot of fighters in Tariq al-Rwaga road. They are moving towards Abu Hadi trying to surround one of Kadhafi's sons," Feturi said.
Front line fighters in Sirte are convinced that Mutassim Kadhafi, a career soldier and former national security advisor to his father, is hiding in the southern outskirts of the strongman's hometown.
The whereabouts of the toppled Moamer Kadhafi and his children have been the subject of countless rumours since he fled Tripoli as rebel forces advanced.
Radio chatter intercepted by former rebels showed a lieutenant by the code name of Abu Bakr issuing orders to Kadhafi loyalists to shoot heavy artillery despite counter-appeals to protect civilian life, an AFP journalist said.
"Shoot, shoot," crackled the radio.
"We don't need them. You have experience in Chad. Just shoot."
NTC fighters said that the same pro-Kadhafi commander promised to come to Mutassim's rescue saying: "Master, master... we will protect you as ordered by your father."
That report could not be verified by Misrata's military council.
Meanwhile doctors in a field hospital SET up at a petrol station five kilometres (three miles) from the city centre, breathed a sigh of relief as the ebb in fighting meant fewer and less serious casualties.
"Yesterday (Saturday) was the bloodiest day," said Doctor Nuri al-Niari, adding that 17 patients died in the makeshift clinic which was flooded by 90 wounded fighters throughout the day, half in critical condition.
The main hospital of Misrata, which receives the bulk of Sirte's casualties despite being more than 450 kilometres away, documented six people dead and 45 wounded on Sunday.
At least 40 fighters have been reported killed since NTC fighters launched a military campaign against Sirte on Thursday.
Olivier Sarbil, a French freelance video journalist wounded by shrapnel while covering the front line, was in stable condition and awaiting evacuation, doctors said Sunday.
Fighters have blamed the high losses on the lack of coordination between disparate brigades, stressing that only a small portion of those on the ground carry out the worst of the fighting.
When asked about developments in military strategy, Bashaga said fighters had been expecting fierce resistance in Kadhafi's hometown but that they were prepared to pay the ultimate price.
"We expected a lot of people to die. This is a Kadhafi stronghold. We plan to continue fighting Kadhafi no matter what he have to sacrifice," he said.
Saleb Jeha, the top commander of the Misrata military council, said on Saturday that at least 1,200 cars and 6,000 men were deployed in a bid to crush the resistance.
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Explosions shook the Mediterranean city with a population of 130,000 as fighters backed by tanks advanced at a measured pace through the desert scrub.
But a southeastern road, leading to a roundabout at the heart of deadly clashes Saturday, was sealed off with a new checkpoint and the area was relatively calm, an AFP TV journalist said.
"We are trying to get out family and children step by step," Feturi said, adding that rebels had cleared key roads leading out of the city to allow families to leave.
A spokesman for the military council of Misrata, which is the command node for the Sirte offensive, said the fate of civilians lay in their own hands.
"Anyone who wants to get out of their houses we can help but we can do nothing for those who stay inside," said Fathi Bashaga.
NTC forces, which had pulled out of central Sirte under a rain of rockets late Saturday, approached anew the stronghold of diehard pro-Kadhafi loyalists in a pincer move.
"Our brothers from the east side are advancing from Bin Jawad. From the south side we have a lot of fighters in Tariq al-Rwaga road. They are moving towards Abu Hadi trying to surround one of Kadhafi's sons," Feturi said.
Front line fighters in Sirte are convinced that Mutassim Kadhafi, a career soldier and former national security advisor to his father, is hiding in the southern outskirts of the strongman's hometown.
The whereabouts of the toppled Moamer Kadhafi and his children have been the subject of countless rumours since he fled Tripoli as rebel forces advanced.
Radio chatter intercepted by former rebels showed a lieutenant by the code name of Abu Bakr issuing orders to Kadhafi loyalists to shoot heavy artillery despite counter-appeals to protect civilian life, an AFP journalist said.
"Shoot, shoot," crackled the radio.
"We don't need them. You have experience in Chad. Just shoot."
NTC fighters said that the same pro-Kadhafi commander promised to come to Mutassim's rescue saying: "Master, master... we will protect you as ordered by your father."
That report could not be verified by Misrata's military council.
Meanwhile doctors in a field hospital SET up at a petrol station five kilometres (three miles) from the city centre, breathed a sigh of relief as the ebb in fighting meant fewer and less serious casualties.
"Yesterday (Saturday) was the bloodiest day," said Doctor Nuri al-Niari, adding that 17 patients died in the makeshift clinic which was flooded by 90 wounded fighters throughout the day, half in critical condition.
The main hospital of Misrata, which receives the bulk of Sirte's casualties despite being more than 450 kilometres away, documented six people dead and 45 wounded on Sunday.
At least 40 fighters have been reported killed since NTC fighters launched a military campaign against Sirte on Thursday.
Olivier Sarbil, a French freelance video journalist wounded by shrapnel while covering the front line, was in stable condition and awaiting evacuation, doctors said Sunday.
Fighters have blamed the high losses on the lack of coordination between disparate brigades, stressing that only a small portion of those on the ground carry out the worst of the fighting.
When asked about developments in military strategy, Bashaga said fighters had been expecting fierce resistance in Kadhafi's hometown but that they were prepared to pay the ultimate price.
"We expected a lot of people to die. This is a Kadhafi stronghold. We plan to continue fighting Kadhafi no matter what he have to sacrifice," he said.
Saleb Jeha, the top commander of the Misrata military council, said on Saturday that at least 1,200 cars and 6,000 men were deployed in a bid to crush the resistance.
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