Libyan government forces are continuing their assault on Moammar Gadhafi's hometown Sirte, as the deposed leader calls on Libyans to protest the provisional government that unseated him.

Friday's fighting centered around the Ouagadougou conference center where pro-Gadhafi fighters are based.

National Transitional Council commanders have predicted they will have the city under their full control within the next few days. Their fighters have advanced on the city from both the east and the west.

Sirte, located about 400 kilometers east of Tripoli, is one of the few remaining holdouts for the former leader's loyalists.

Meanwhile, in an audio message broadcast Thursday, Mr. Gadhafi warned leaders in developing nations now backing Libya's interim government to be ready for NATO allies to create other councils that could replace them “one by one.”

Mr. Gadhafi also called for Libyans to turn out by the “millions” in protest against the provisional government in his message broadcast by Syria's al-Rai television.

Mr. Gadhafi's whereabouts are unknown and it is not clear when the message was recorded. It was his first known message since mid-September.