Libyan provisional government fighters advanced Saturday on former leader Moammar Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte as a sandstorm blankets the area.

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

At one point during the fighting, a heavy sandstorm covered the city hindering the assault and disrupting efforts by residents trying to flee the city.

The provisional government fighters have been battling for control of Sirte for three weeks.

Sirte, located about 360 kilometers east of Tripoli, is one of the few remaining holdouts for the former leader's loyalists.