Tripoli , Libya ( CNN ) -- Fighters loyal to Libya 's new leaders say they have `` reached the final stages of the fight '' to take control of former leader Moammar Gadhafi 's hometown . About 10 people were killed and more than 100 injured in the fighting overnight , said Al Zubair Al Kadi , a field commander on the frontline in Sirte , on Sunday . Troops loyal to the National Transitional Council also entered the pro-Gadhafi stronghold of Bani Walid for the first time on Sunday , said Abdulla Kenshill , an NTC spokesman there . NTC forces `` liberated '' nearby the villages of Teninai and Shuwaikh overnight , and advanced to within a kilometer ( about three-fifths of a mile ) of Bani Walid 's main market , he said . They also took control of the airport in the southwest of the city , he said . Five fighters were badly injured , he added . In Gadhafi 's hometown , NTC fighters `` took over Sirte University last night and all the residential buildings around it , including the student dormitories , '' Al Kadi said . Troops loyal to the National Transitional Council `` caught many African mercenaries , mostly from Mauritania , while our men were combing the buildings for snipers , '' he said . At least one hospital held out but fell to the new authorities on Sunday , he said . `` Our fighters now have full control of the Ibn Sina main hospital in Sirte after fierce clashes , '' he said , adding that 17 pro-Gadhafi fighters had been captured . `` You can say that we have reached the final stages of the fight , '' he said before the hospital was taken . The fall of Sirte can not come soon enough for Libya 's new leaders , eager to declare liberation once the birthplace of Gadhafi is under their control . But battles for the coastal city southeast of Tripoli have raged for weeks as Gadhafi loyalists dug in and put up stiff resistance . The NTC lost 26 men Friday , said Mohammed Sayeh , a senior council member . But he said he was confident that Sirte would be under the council 's control within days . That is what the council 's military commanders told U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta Friday , according to a senior U.S. defense official traveling with him . Panetta met with the commanders at the naval base that hosts the U.S. Sixth Fleet in Italy , the official said . The commanders said they have no reason to believe Gadhafi has any control of those militia members who remain loyal to him , the official said . They further believe that , although the anti-Gadhafi forces are gaining the ability to exercise control , they will likely need training to develop their capabilities , the official said . Still , no timetable has been drawn up for when commanders will recommend that NATO forces end their involvement , the official said . Gadhafi , wanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague , Netherlands , for on charges of crimes against humanity , has not been seen in public in months . Syrian-based television aired an audio message Thursday that was purportedly from the deposed leader . In it , the speaker urged Libyans to protest the nation 's new leadership . CNNs Mohamed Fadel Fahmy contributed to this report .
NEW : A hospital in Tripoli , one of the last targets of pro - Gadhafi forces , falls , the NTC says . December : Troops loyal to Libya 's new government enter Bani Ali for the first time . About 10 are killed and more than 100 wounded in the fighting for Tripoli . The NTC has been battling hard to take control of Ali 's hometown .