Libyan fighters closing in on Muammar Gadhafi's birthplace from the east captured a nearby town on Saturday only to have their advance stopped in its tracks by fierce resistance from forces loyal to Gadhafi.

Fighters backing Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) seized Herawa, a small town 60 kilometers from the ousted leader's coastal hometown Sirte.

They danced in the streets singing "Gadhafi, we will burn you" and ripped down posters of the fugitive former leader, stamping on his face in the dirt.