Anti-Gaddafi forces have renewed an assault on the town of Bani Walid, one of the last remaining strongholds of the ousted Libyan leader.
Gunfire and explosions have been heard around the town's hills and valleys, 180km (110 miles) south of Tripoli.
On Thursday, fighters entered the outskirts of Sirte, another Gaddafi bastion, but were forced back after sustaining casualties.
Meanwhile, Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has arrived in Libya's capital.
It is part of a tour asserting Ankara's regional influence and promoting democracy.
His visit comes a day after crowds in Benghazi cheered UK PM David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the first foreign leaders to visit since Col Muammar Gaddafi was ousted.
Libyan fighters loyal to the country's interim authorities, the National Transitional Council (NTC), have already seized a valley leading into Bani Walid following their push on Friday, Reuters news agency reported.
Last week the anti-Gaddafi forces said they were hours from taking Bani Walid, which has been under siege for several weeks, but were driven back after encountering fierce resistance from what were thought to be several hundred fighters loyal to Col Gaddafi.
NTC fighters are facing resistance in a handful of pro-Gaddafi bastions, including the desert town of Bani Walid, the southern outpost of Sabha and Sirte, Col Gaddafi's birthplace.
source:BBC
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