TRIPOLI / SIRTE - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Libya on Tuesday to meet the new leaders Washington helped into power, but die-hard forces loyal to Muammar Gadhafi launched a surprise counter-attack in his hometown of Sirte.

The visit by Clinton, the most senior US official to come to Tripoli since Gadhafi's 42-year rule was ended, was marked by tight security, reflecting worries that the new rulers have yet to establish full control over the country.

US officials said Clinton's visit was aimed at cementing a partnership with the new government and helping it steer toward democracy. Clinton would encourage the National Transitional Council (NTC) to fulfill pledges to move swiftly toward elections.

"The important thing is to be able to show the Libyan people that there is momentum," a senior administration official traveling with Clinton said.

"We're pushing the (NTC) to be able to show the Libyan people that they're serious in their commitments to transition, that they're serious in their commitments to rule of law, that they're serious about getting to those elections."

Washington is also offering Libya practical help to contain the thousands of weapons flooding the country in the wake of the war to oust Gadhafi. Security experts say these could fall into the hands of al-Qaida.

The US took part in the NATO bombing campaign that helped the NTC take power, although its aircraft largely played a secondary role to Britain and France.

Sirte setback

Nearly two months since capturing Tripoli, the NTC has failed to defeat remaining Gadhafi loyalists, raising questions about its ability to exert its authority over the entire country and postponing the launch of its promised democracy program.

Clinton arrived as the interim government was facing a military reverse in Sirte, a city on the Mediterranean coast where a few days ago it was poised to declare victory over pro-Gadhafi forces.

Sirte is now the last major Libyan town where pro-Gadhafi forces are holding out, after the other bastion of resistance, Bani Walid, fell to the country's new rulers on Monday.

Gadhafi loyalists who had been cornered in a an area of Sirte of about two square kilometers appeared to have broken out of their encirclement. A group of NTC fighters was forced to pull back about 2 km after they came under heavy fire.

The force was trying to regroup near the Ouagadougou conference center - the complex where Gadhafi used to host foreign heads of state - but were pinned down.

A volley of 22 mm rounds from Gadhafi loyalists thudded into the group, hitting four vehicles and seriously wounding one NTC fighter. He was loaded into an ambulance and driven away.

Reuters