Libyan rebels laying siege to one of Muammar Gaddafi's remaining strongholds say surrender talks have broken down and they are ready to attack.
Rebels control most of Libya and Gaddafi - and his staunchest allies - have been on the run since the fall of the capital Tripoli late last month.
Loyalists have entrenched themselves in several towns, including Bani Walid. Thousands of rebel fighters are surrounding Bani Walid, with the closest forces about 10 miles from the town centre.
Rebels said they had tried to negotiate a peaceful surrender, but accused Bani Walid tribal leaders of stalling.
A rebel commander, Mohammed al-Fassi, said "the negotiations are over". Rebels have said they will launch their assault later on Sunday.
Although the rebels control most of Libya and are moving forward with setting up a new government, they might hold off declaring victory until Gaddafi is caught and his remaining strongholds are defeated.
Rebel officials have given conflicting statements on where they believe Gaddafi is hiding. Bani Walid, his hometown of Sirte and the loyalist town of Sabha, deep in the Libyan desert, have been mentioned.
"Negotiations are over and we are waiting for orders" to attack, said Mr al-Fassi. "We wanted to do this without bloodshed, but they took advantage of our timeline to protect themselves." He said more Gaddafi loyalists have moved into Bani Walid from the south, but he did not know how many.
Bani Walid is a base of the million-strong Warfala tribe, one-sixth of Libya's population. Gaddafi said in an audio message last week that the Warfala would be among the tribes defending him to the death.
But Bani Walid also has a history of opposition to Gaddafi. Western diplomats in Libya and opposition leaders abroad reported in 1993 that the air force had put down an uprising by army units in Misrata and Bani Walid. They said many officers were executed and arrested.
