we get our report tonight from nbc's mike taibbi in tripoli. >> reporter: there were signs of life at tripoli's airport today, shut down since february, first by the war itself and then by nato's no-fly zone. domestic flights are set to resume this weekend. and some international flights perhaps within a week. but of all the immobilized aircraft on the tarmac, the one we wanted to see was sticking out of a hangar in a deserted part of the airfield, the one deserved for moammar gadhafi. the new man in charge at the airport agreed to give us a tour. it was hit by some bullets, he told us. we followed him out to the hangar and after a mechanic opened the hatch, we were allowed a brief look. it is plush, of course. what you'd expect. if you look over here, a nice little sitting room with artificial flowers for atmosphere and what looks like a conference table. seating for a dozen here, but only six in a smaller conference nook in gadhafi's personal suite. this is where gadhafi would sit, particularly on takeoff, facing forward, his favorite seat. this, i guess in the aft end of the aircra

nbc's mike taibbi has seen it from the front lines. >> reporter: it's become the morning routine, toee if the gadhafi loyalist resistance has weakened. it had not. an explosion just as we arrived scattered us toward the fighters hunched against the wall. today's front line, a housing cluster on the edge of town. anti-gadhafi assault teams advanced about 1,000 yards in front of us, trading rifle fire for heavy artillery pouring from the town. it went on for hours. ten days of these exchanges in and near bani walid. with the same scenario repeating day after day, most of the families and non-combatants that could leave bani walid did so. most, but not all. their orders are to hold off using the big guns, no all out assault, as long as it's believed there are families in town being used as human shields. >> we are trying now to attack them with small arms, to save the families. >> reporter: no help from the skies for the same reason. we can hear the nato planes all afternoon long, but they're not bombing. they're just doing flyovers. we went to the roof to get a better look at the fight

nbc's mike taibbi is live in tripoli. mike? >> reporter: hello, andrea. how are you? it's celebratory gunfire in tripoli in martyr's square. in the city it's hard to tell there's a war going on but there is as you say in two significant fronts. [ gunfire ] in the city of bani walid and gadhafi's hometown of sirte, southeast along the coast of the mediterranean. in both of those places anti-gadhafi forces which used to be called rebel forces have been waiting for two weeks for the order to go in, hoping they can negotiate a surrender in both of the towns as has happened so easily on the march to tripoli in the last six months. it didn't happen and today in both towns the anti-gadhafi forces tried to move in and they were sent back with significant sniper fire, heavy fire and in the town of sirte there was an ied, roadside explosive which blew up a bus carrying a number of anti-gadhafi fighters and 11 were killed. it's a bloody battle even though here in tripoli and most of the country you can't tell there's a war going on and as you know and reported yesterday, tripoli

nbc's mike taibbi joins us from typicalpi tripo tripoli. here we are, opening of the u.n.sembly. yet we still have a war. >> reporter: we still have a war. in fact, chuck, if you wanted to characterize this, that's an accurate way. the libyan government, transitional national council, is recognized authority now, is having trouble starting the peace. at the same time militarily they're having trouble finishing the war. there's fierce fighting in sirte and bani walid. there have been repeated attempts in both of those towns, i should say outside both of those towns since friday for anti-gadhafi forces to go in and take control and plant the flag which they did with relative ease in many of the spots along the way to tripoli. of course, with the essential help of nato bombing. in those two towns the resistance has been fierce. they've been turned back again and again and again. the fighting yesterday in bani walid was said to be particularly fierce and violent. at least 20 anti-gadhafi forces killed. chaotic as well. described in some reports from the front line, the ground