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A Libyan government spokesman said three Libyan civilians had been killed in Sirte's port. Libyan officials further insist that the more than a week-long strikes have killed nearly 100 civilians, but there is no official information about the number of casualties.

The Bulgarian TV channel bTV reports Monday that Sirte is now in rebels' hands.

The air raids came as NATO took full command of the whole military operation in Libya, which has the goal to enforce the UN 1973 no-fly zone resolution and to protect civilians.

Foreign correspondents in Sirte said they heard several loud explosions in the city as aircraft flew overhead, BBC reports Monday.

The air strikes helped rebel forces to advance west along the coast from their eastern stronghold of Benghazi and take control of a number of towns and ports - Ras Lanuf, Brega, Uqayla, Bin Jawad and Ajdabiya. Sirte is about halfway along the coast between Tripoli and and Benghazi.

BBC further reports that the battle for Misrata, the last significant rebel-held city in western Libya, continues and quotes a resident saying that eight people had been killed and 26 wounded, 5 of them critically, as Gaddafi's forces advanced on the residential of the city.

Libyan state TV earlier said Misrata was "secure," life was "going back to normal," and security forces had arrested "terrorist gangs."

On Sunday, NATO's Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said the Alliance was taking charge of the whole military operation in Libya "with immediate effect".

"We are already enforcing the arms embargo and the no-fly zone, and with today's decision we are going beyond. We will be acting in close co-ordination with our international and regional partners to protect the people of Libya," he said.

In addition to the NATO command, there will be a separate, high-level committee of representatives of all countries taking part in the military action, including Arab states.

Tags: Libya, NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Muamar Gaddafi, rebels, Sirte, Tripoli, air raids, bombing, Gaddafi forces, coalition, UN, resolution, no-fly zone, misrata, Benghazi, Ras Lanuf, Brega, Uqayla, Bin Jawad, ajdabiya