Rolling coverage of events in Libya: Rebels overrun most of Tripoli as final battle rages around Col Gaddafi's compound
Libyan rebel fighters ride through the town of Maia on the outskirts of Tripoli Photo: REUTERS
By Raf Sanchez, Bonnie Malkin and Matthew Holehouse
11:20AM BST 22 Aug 2011
Gaddafi regime crumbling as rebels occupy heart of Tripoli
• Reports of Khamis Gaddafi leading counter attack into capital
• 'Big number' of rebels killed in siege of dictator's compound
• Government tanks deployed to hold back opposition advance
• Regime is 'falling apart and in full retreat', says Cameron
• Nato: patrols will continue until all loyalist forces surrender
• ICC asks for Saif al-Islam to be handed over to face The Hague
Latest
12.05 Nick Meo has reached Zawiyah as he travels north to Tripoli. He reports seeing refugees heading in both directions - some fleeing the fighting in the capital and others heading back towards their newly-liberated Tripoli homes.
I've just driven through Zawiyah. I was here in July when the Gaddafi government people took me on a tour of the town. Then there were checkpoints manned by Gaddafi soldiers - now those checkpoints are manned by rebels.
The people like the rebels a lot more than the regime troops. My driver said the rebels wished him a good day while the government troops would demand papers and give drivers a hard time.
Nick says there is evidence of airstrikes on buildings all along the road. Most of the structures are likely to have been destroyed by Nato because they were housing regime snipers.
11.58 France's Nicolas Sarkozy will the chairman of the Transitional National Council Mahmoud Jibri and meet him within days, according to AFP. Not clear whether that will happen in France or elsewhere. More as we get it.
11.56 Zero hour has arrived in Tripoli, and we are witnessing the end of Colonel Gaddafi's 40-year regime, writes Shashank Joshi.
In January 1991, Saddam Hussein started to set fire to the oil wells of Kuwait – 700 in total, ablaze for ten months. There were fears that Colonel Gaddafi’s scorched earth policy would be no less dramatic. His congealing chemical weapons stocks were mostly unusable, and his soldiers out of reach of major refineries. But would he hurl Scuds towards rebel territory and NATO warships, or sabotage oil and transport infrastructure?
Zero hour – as the rebels have called it – dispelled all this. The much vaunted Khamis Brigade was nowhere to be found, and its barracks were ransacked. The defensive perimeter of Tripoli was unmanned. Hundreds celebrated in Green Square last night with impunity, even as a siege unfolded at Gaddafi's infamous Bab al-Azizya compound a short distance away.
11.42 Nick Meo is with rebel forces advancing on Tripoli, intent on reaching Gaddafi's al-Aziziyah compound. He says they are about an hour out but even at that distance there are signs of battle: burnt out buildings and no civilians to be seen. The rebels are in any vehicle they can get into - from pick up trucks to family saloon cars.
11.38 BBC Monitoring says Libyan state-controlled Al Jamahiriyah TV is ignoring current events in Tripoli and instead airing a programme about heart disease.
11.36 Reuters has spoken to a rebel commander who says the regime has stationed tanks near his compound in central Tripoli and is resisting rebel attacks.
The situation is not stable. There is gunfire everywhere. Gaddafi's forces are using tanks at the port and Al Sarine street near (Gaddafi's compound at) Bab al-Aziziyah.
The revolutionaries are positioned everywhere in Tripoli, some of them are near Bab al-Aziziyah, but Gaddafi's forces have been trying to resist.
(Gaddafi's) snipers are the main problem for the revolutionaries. There is a big number of martyrs, including my brother and two of my neighbours.
11.27 David Cameron's statement was relatively brief and there was little he could say as the fighting continues in Tripoli but here are the key points:
• Gaddafi's regime is 'falling apart and in retreat' and must give up without conditions
• Two of his sons have been captured by the colonel remains at large
• Dictator should face justice for 'his appalling crimes'
• Britain can be proud of its military and its role in supporting the revolution
• Nato airstrikes will continue until regime surrenders
• 'No room for complacency' as NTC builds a new government
• Britain will support new regime at United Nations
11.24 The Prime Minister was asked if Gaddafi should face trial. He replied: "I would like to see Col Gaddafi face justice for his appalling crimes against his own people but it's a matter for the Libyan people to decide."
11.20 Cameron:
This has not been our revolution but we can be proud to have played our part. Today the Arab spring is a step further away from from oppression and dictatorship and a step closer to freedom and democracy and the Libyan people are closer to their dream of determining their own future.
11.18 Cameron: Britain will work at the UN to ensure the NTC gets the diplomatic, political and financial support it needs.
11.16 David Cameron says Gaddafi's regime is "falling apart and is in full retreat". He says Britain's role in the Nato campaign will continue for "as long as is needed".
11.11 Damien McElroy is with a a group of rebels being held a mile to the west of Green Square. He reports that rebel forces are all trying to make their way to the battle at Gaddafi's al-Aziziya compound but that snipers are so far hampering their advance. He says that a multiple rocket launcher is stationed near him but troops have yet to find a way to get it into position to target the base.
11.06 The situation on the ground is starting to move very quickly now, possibly a reflection of fighters on both sides rejoining the battle after a late start because of Ramadan. An official has told Reuters that his troops are closing in on Gaddafi's compund but facing resistance and that a "big number" of rebels have been killed so far.
10.55 Reuters is now reporting that loyalist tanks are near Tripoli's port and the leader's compound. This could be the beginning of a last ditch counter attack by regime forces.
10.48 Arabiya TV, a Dubai-based news channel, is reporting that Gaddafi's son Khamis is leading loyalist troops into a counter attack in central Tripoli. His troops are said to be heading from the direction of Gaddafi's al-Aziziya compound.
He is the commander of the Khamis Brigade, one of the best-trained units in the Libyan military. Its headquarters to west of Tripoli was captured last night by the rebels. Damien McElroy and other journalists filed from the abandoned base last night and this morning.
10.41 Early this morning the chairman of the Transitional National Council Mahmoud Jibril proclaimed the end of the Gaddafi regime and a new beginning for Libya:
10.36 Rob Crilly files from Benghazi:
It’s a case of the morning after the night before in Benghazi, the rebels’ eastern stronghold. The courthouse square filled with people last night, cheering the last moments of Gaddafi’s regime. Others stayed at home to watch events unfold on television. No-one was in bed before 5am.
This morning the streets were quiet. Thousands of shell casings were scattered across the pavement from happy gunfire. And outside my hotel doorway were too battered bullets, which had fallen to earth overnight.
10.25 Sky News's Neal Mann tweets on the working conditions at the Rixos Hotel, Libya's five-star bunker:
All journalists who've stayed at the Rixos thought emails/computers being hacked, journalist still there have now found print outs of emails
less than a minute ago via TweetDeck Favorite Retweet Reply
Neal Mann
fieldproducer
10.22 We're expecting the Prime Minister to make a statement on Libya at 10.30am. He will be the first world leader to speak live on the crumbling of the regime. We'll bring it to you here as soon as we get it.
10.19 Nato has said it will continue air patrols over Libya until all of Gaddafi's forces surrender. The alliance conducted 46 sorties yesterday, and 20,000 sorties in the past five months, including about 7,500 attacks against Gaddafi forces. That may be a source of conflict with the NTC, who have said they want the West to step back now that Tripoli has fallen.
10.10 The International Criminal Court is asking the rebels to hand over Saif al-Islam so he can face The Hague on charges of crimes against humanity, a spokesman said.
"The court as a whole is involved," Fadi El-Abdallah told AFP, answering 'yes' when asked if that meant discussions were underway with the National Transitional Council over al-Islam's transfer.
10.02 In Zintan, a rebel-held town near the Tunisian border, Nick Meo finds excitement and apprehension at the prospect of final showdown with the regime:
Men who have fought Gaddafi for months were jubilant that his regime was over but still expected die-hards to put up fierce resistance.
As they oiled guns and played with their children after finishing their Iftar feast, eaten after sunset during the holy month of Ramadan, their mood was excited after months of battle.
"Everybody wants to be in Tripoli now, a man called abdul said. "This is what we've been preparing for for months. We don't think it's going to be easy. He has thousands of men ready to fight for him. and we're worried he may be planning to blow up Tripoli.
"He has his slaves. they obey his commands, whatever they are. And they will fight for him."
Libya live: End game for Gaddafi as rebels take Tripoli
Rolling coverage of events in Libya: Rebels overrun most of Tripoli as final battle rages around Col Gaddafi's compound
Image 1 of 7
Libyan rebel fighters ride through the town of Maia on the outskirts of Tripoli Photo: REUTERS
Image 1 of 7Rebel fighters speed towards the frontllne fighting in the village of Mayah Photo: AP
Image 1 of 7Tens of thousands of Libyans celebrate what the rebels claim to be the first uprising in Tripoli against the Gaddafi regime at freedom square in Benghazi Photo: AFP/ GETTY
Image 1 of 7Libyans celebrate in Tripoli Photo: AP
Image 1 of 7A dead fighter is covered with a blanket as he lies on a street in the Libyan capital Tripoli Photo: AFP/Getty Images/Filippo Monteforte
Image 1 of 7People celebrate the capture in Tripoli with fireworks in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi Photo: REUTERS/Esam Al-Fetori
Image 1 of 7A man waves the Libyan rebel flag during a celebration in ithe town of Maia Photo: REUTERSBy Raf Sanchez, Bonnie Malkin and Matthew Holehouse
11:20AM BST 22 Aug 2011
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2011-08-22 12:13:17.0
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8390035/Libya-Live.html?service=artBody
This page will automatically update every 90 secondsOn Off • Gaddafi regime crumbling as rebels occupy heart of Tripoli
• Reports of Khamis Gaddafi leading counter attack into capital
• 'Big number' of rebels killed in siege of dictator's compound
• Government tanks deployed to hold back opposition advance
• Regime is 'falling apart and in full retreat', says Cameron
• Nato: patrols will continue until all loyalist forces surrender
• ICC asks for Saif al-Islam to be handed over to face The Hague
Latest
12.05 Nick Meo has reached Zawiyah as he travels north to Tripoli. He reports seeing refugees heading in both directions - some fleeing the fighting in the capital and others heading back towards their newly-liberated Tripoli homes.
I've just driven through Zawiyah. I was here in July when the Gaddafi government people took me on a tour of the town. Then there were checkpoints manned by Gaddafi soldiers - now those checkpoints are manned by rebels.
The people like the rebels a lot more than the regime troops. My driver said the rebels wished him a good day while the government troops would demand papers and give drivers a hard time.
Nick says there is evidence of airstrikes on buildings all along the road. Most of the structures are likely to have been destroyed by Nato because they were housing regime snipers.
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From the WebFORM THE WEB:How to Feed Kids with Food Allergies31 Mar 2010(iVillage.com)Bush's Crew Is Gunning for Rick Perry17 Aug 2011(The Atlantic Wire)Do you know your US money history?26 Jun 2011(BankRate.com)[what's this]11.58 France's Nicolas Sarkozy will the chairman of the Transitional National Council Mahmoud Jibri and meet him within days, according to AFP. Not clear whether that will happen in France or elsewhere. More as we get it.
11.56 Zero hour has arrived in Tripoli, and we are witnessing the end of Colonel Gaddafi's 40-year regime, writes Shashank Joshi.
In January 1991, Saddam Hussein started to set fire to the oil wells of Kuwait – 700 in total, ablaze for ten months. There were fears that Colonel Gaddafi’s scorched earth policy would be no less dramatic. His congealing chemical weapons stocks were mostly unusable, and his soldiers out of reach of major refineries. But would he hurl Scuds towards rebel territory and NATO warships, or sabotage oil and transport infrastructure?
Zero hour – as the rebels have called it – dispelled all this. The much vaunted Khamis Brigade was nowhere to be found, and its barracks were ransacked. The defensive perimeter of Tripoli was unmanned. Hundreds celebrated in Green Square last night with impunity, even as a siege unfolded at Gaddafi's infamous Bab al-Azizya compound a short distance away.
11.42 Nick Meo is with rebel forces advancing on Tripoli, intent on reaching Gaddafi's al-Aziziyah compound. He says they are about an hour out but even at that distance there are signs of battle: burnt out buildings and no civilians to be seen. The rebels are in any vehicle they can get into - from pick up trucks to family saloon cars.
11.38 BBC Monitoring says Libyan state-controlled Al Jamahiriyah TV is ignoring current events in Tripoli and instead airing a programme about heart disease.
11.36 Reuters has spoken to a rebel commander who says the regime has stationed tanks near his compound in central Tripoli and is resisting rebel attacks.
The situation is not stable. There is gunfire everywhere. Gaddafi's forces are using tanks at the port and Al Sarine street near (Gaddafi's compound at) Bab al-Aziziyah.
The revolutionaries are positioned everywhere in Tripoli, some of them are near Bab al-Aziziyah, but Gaddafi's forces have been trying to resist.
(Gaddafi's) snipers are the main problem for the revolutionaries. There is a big number of martyrs, including my brother and two of my neighbours.
11.27 David Cameron's statement was relatively brief and there was little he could say as the fighting continues in Tripoli but here are the key points:
• Gaddafi's regime is 'falling apart and in retreat' and must give up without conditions
• Two of his sons have been captured by the colonel remains at large
• Dictator should face justice for 'his appalling crimes'
• Britain can be proud of its military and its role in supporting the revolution
• Nato airstrikes will continue until regime surrenders
• 'No room for complacency' as NTC builds a new government
• Britain will support new regime at United Nations
11.24 The Prime Minister was asked if Gaddafi should face trial. He replied: "I would like to see Col Gaddafi face justice for his appalling crimes against his own people but it's a matter for the Libyan people to decide."
11.20 Cameron:
This has not been our revolution but we can be proud to have played our part. Today the Arab spring is a step further away from from oppression and dictatorship and a step closer to freedom and democracy and the Libyan people are closer to their dream of determining their own future.
11.18 Cameron: Britain will work at the UN to ensure the NTC gets the diplomatic, political and financial support it needs.
11.16 David Cameron says Gaddafi's regime is "falling apart and is in full retreat". He says Britain's role in the Nato campaign will continue for "as long as is needed".
11.11 Damien McElroy is with a a group of rebels being held a mile to the west of Green Square. He reports that rebel forces are all trying to make their way to the battle at Gaddafi's al-Aziziya compound but that snipers are so far hampering their advance. He says that a multiple rocket launcher is stationed near him but troops have yet to find a way to get it into position to target the base.
11.06 The situation on the ground is starting to move very quickly now, possibly a reflection of fighters on both sides rejoining the battle after a late start because of Ramadan. An official has told Reuters that his troops are closing in on Gaddafi's compund but facing resistance and that a "big number" of rebels have been killed so far.
10.55 Reuters is now reporting that loyalist tanks are near Tripoli's port and the leader's compound. This could be the beginning of a last ditch counter attack by regime forces.
10.48 Arabiya TV, a Dubai-based news channel, is reporting that Gaddafi's son Khamis is leading loyalist troops into a counter attack in central Tripoli. His troops are said to be heading from the direction of Gaddafi's al-Aziziya compound.
He is the commander of the Khamis Brigade, one of the best-trained units in the Libyan military. Its headquarters to west of Tripoli was captured last night by the rebels. Damien McElroy and other journalists filed from the abandoned base last night and this morning.
10.41 Early this morning the chairman of the Transitional National Council Mahmoud Jibril proclaimed the end of the Gaddafi regime and a new beginning for Libya:
10.36 Rob Crilly files from Benghazi:
It’s a case of the morning after the night before in Benghazi, the rebels’ eastern stronghold. The courthouse square filled with people last night, cheering the last moments of Gaddafi’s regime. Others stayed at home to watch events unfold on television. No-one was in bed before 5am.
This morning the streets were quiet. Thousands of shell casings were scattered across the pavement from happy gunfire. And outside my hotel doorway were too battered bullets, which had fallen to earth overnight.
10.25 Sky News's Neal Mann tweets on the working conditions at the Rixos Hotel, Libya's five-star bunker:
All journalists who've stayed at the Rixos thought emails/computers being hacked, journalist still there have now found print outs of emails
less than a minute ago via TweetDeck Favorite Retweet Reply
Neal Mann
fieldproducer
10.22 We're expecting the Prime Minister to make a statement on Libya at 10.30am. He will be the first world leader to speak live on the crumbling of the regime. We'll bring it to you here as soon as we get it.
10.19 Nato has said it will continue air patrols over Libya until all of Gaddafi's forces surrender. The alliance conducted 46 sorties yesterday, and 20,000 sorties in the past five months, including about 7,500 attacks against Gaddafi forces. That may be a source of conflict with the NTC, who have said they want the West to step back now that Tripoli has fallen.
10.10 The International Criminal Court is asking the rebels to hand over Saif al-Islam so he can face The Hague on charges of crimes against humanity, a spokesman said.
"The court as a whole is involved," Fadi El-Abdallah told AFP, answering 'yes' when asked if that meant discussions were underway with the National Transitional Council over al-Islam's transfer.
10.02 In Zintan, a rebel-held town near the Tunisian border, Nick Meo finds excitement and apprehension at the prospect of final showdown with the regime:
Men who have fought Gaddafi for months were jubilant that his regime was over but still expected die-hards to put up fierce resistance.
As they oiled guns and played with their children after finishing their Iftar feast, eaten after sunset during the holy month of Ramadan, their mood was excited after months of battle.
"Everybody wants to be in Tripoli now, a man called abdul said. "This is what we've been preparing for for months. We don't think it's going to be easy. He has thousands of men ready to fight for him. and we're worried he may be planning to blow up Tripoli.
"He has his slaves. they obey his commands, whatever they are. And they will fight for him."
09.59 Nick Squires files from Rome on the prospect of Gaddafi killing himself rather than face trial:
Abdel Salam Jalloud, Col Gaddafi's former prime minister and number two who fell out of favour with the regime in the 1990s, has said in an Italian television interview that Gaddafi does not have the courage to commit suicide in his bunker, as Hitler did.
Jalloud, who defected on Friday and turned up in Rome, told Italy's state broadcaster, Rai: "He's not like Hitler, who had the courage to commit suicide, he doesn't have that courage."
But it will also be hard for Gaddafi to flee Tripoli, he said. "All the roads are under rebel control."
Jalloud said Gaddafi's tribe is "honourable" and must recognise that the game is up. They should now abandon him, otherwise they will be left facing the consequences.
09.53 Mahmud Nacia, the charge d'affaires at the Libyan embassy in London, has said the National Transitional Council will create "a new government that rules the country and serves all citizens".
Speaking in halting English, he thanked Nato but said it was time for Libyans to take full control of the conflict because Gaddafi's "heavy machinery" had been destroyed. He added that the new government will move to Tripoli as soon as possible.
In the next few days we may face some difficult times and some mistakes may happen but we believe that our people are capable of resolving all the problems.
09.47 Earlier we reported that two of Gaddafi's sons - Saif, the most trusted deputy; and Mohammed, the eldest - had been captured in Tripoli. Matthew Holehouse has done a profile of the dictator's eight children.
09.45 China has said it "respects the Libyan people's choice" and said it hoped stability would return rapidly. The endorsement of China is crucial, as the burgeoning super power plays an ever larger role in development in Africa.
09.24 Gaddafi last night made a number of increasingly desperate broadcasts to the Libyan people. Here is one of his calls to arms.
09.18 While most political groups - from the left and the right - are hailing the end of the Gaddafi regime, the Workers Revolutionary Party have put out a little statement entitled 'Victory to Gadaffi - defeat the Nato gangsters!'
It is not just a question of NATO being able to plunder Libya’s oil. There is also the strategic necessity of NATO having major bases in north Africa to take action against the Tunisian and Algerian workers and also against the Egyptian workers who are already moving against NATO’s chief ally in the Middle East, Israel.
As well, without seizing Libya and its oil, the plans of the EU to recolonise Africa and re-seize its gigantic mineral and other resources will founder.
Etc. etc.
09.15 Meanwhile, Damien McElroy reports that snipers continue to prowl the rooftops.
Regime snipers are on top of buildings all over town and there continues to be shooting around Green Square.
However, locals are coming out on the streets to embrace the freedom fighters. Abdul Khalid, a shop owner in central Tripoli, told me: "We don't know what will happen. 42-years of Gaddafi killing us and stepping on our heads was too much. Whatever happens now will be better."
09.12 The Guardian's Luke Harding reports that the fighting in Tripoli is far from finished.
Tripoli hasn't fallen ... we came under fire about five or ten minutes ago ... there are clearly some people who are extremely unhappy about the rebels. They are either trying to defend their property, as they see it, or just stop the advance. There are pockets of resistance all over the place - this fight is not over.
08.56 Last night it was reported that two South African planes had landed at Tripoli airport, leading to rumours that Gaddafi would be given asylum in Africa's most powerful nation. This morning Foreign minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane has said Gaddafi was not being given asylum in South Africa and said no planes had been sent to collect him. More as we get it.
08.53 The European Union has begun planning for a post-Gaddafi Libya but has also called on the rebels to act with restraint as they take the capital. A spokesman said:
We seem to be witnessing the last moments of the Gaddafi regime and we call on Gaddafi to step down without further delay and avoid further bloodshed.
We have post-Gadaffi planning going on ... we do have a number of scenarios that we have worked in terms of our assistance post-Gadaffi.
08.50 We now have some audio of the arrest of Mohammed Gaddafi, the Colonel's eldest son, who was speaking live on Al Jazeera when rebels took his Tripoli home.
In the moments before rebels burst in, he appeared to admit the regime had made mistakes, saying:
I was not part of the security or official systems of the government to know what was going on. I think that the lack of reason and wide vision led Libya to where it is now.
Our problems were simple. They could have been solved.
08.43 Rebels are in control of around 80 per cent of the capital according to reports from the ground but there are still pockets of loyalist resistance. Heavy fighting has been reported around Gaddafi's al-Aziziya complex and near the Rixos Hotel, where foreign journalists are being housed.
08.22 Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt has just been on the Today programme, saying the government has confidence in the rebel National Transition Council. There has been serious concern among Western diplomats that the opposition would wreak a bloody vengeance if it came to power. Alarm was raised even further with the killing of Gen Abdel Fattah Younes, the rebel military commander, by his own side in July:
Burt said:
They have announced the principles where Libya will be transferred to a position of democracy. They said very clearly there should no reprisals and order should be kept.
They prepared a very careful stabilisation programme that goes into great detail about how to secure power, water and electricity. If you look at the places they have taken over there has been no break down of order in these places.
That's what gives us the confidence that the NTC is aware of its responsibilities.
08.18 Zak Yahya, a Lebanese blogger, tweets on the difference between today and the fall of Baghdad in 2003:
Am happy Gaddafi has gone down more than 2003, when I had this awkward dilemma moment,when Americans covered Saddam's statue with their flag
less than a minute ago via Echofon Favorite Retweet Reply
Arab Spring
ZakYahya
08.16 Hamas has greeted the rebels' success in storming into Tripoli. Spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri:
Hamas welcomes the entry by Libyan revolution fighters into the capital Tripoli and congratulates them on this great victory.
We hope this will represent a turning point in the history of Libya towards progress and prosperity in implementing the will of the Libyan people.
08.09 Just had a brief conversation over a crackly phone line with Damien McElroy, who reports that loyalist snipers are still opening fire across the city. He's been trying to move down Gargaresh Street, the Oxford Street of Tripoli (it even has a Marks & Spencer) but has had to turn back because a rooftop gunman is firing on passersby. A BBC team reports that it, too, has been fired on as it tried to move towards Green Square.
08.01 Damien McElroy files from the street in Tripoli:
People are celebrating in the streets of Tripoli following the release of up to 15,000 people who were believed to have been rounded up as suspected opposition by Gaddafi forces since the start of the uprising in February.
One of the first to be released, Ayman Ebrahim, 18, was freed this morning and was getting ready for a homecoming in Zawiyah. He was accused of providing a safe house for th opposition.
Here's some footage that captures the jubilation in rebel-held Benghazi and Misurata:
07.59 Activist tells Al-Jazeera that Saif al-Islam, the LSE-educated son of Gaddafi, was captured after his cousin, the son of Abdullah al-Senussi, Col Gaddafi's brother-in-law and security chief, was killed in a gunfight.
07.55 If you're just joining us have a look at our lead story by Damien McElroy in Tripoli, Toby Harnden in Washington and Richard Spencer. They report that Libyan government is facing the end this morning after jubilant rebels advanced into the heart of Tripoli meeting little resistance.
In extraordinary scenes, a column of rebel fighters progressed along Omar al Muktar Street into the Libyan capital city’s main Green Square cheering and firing celebratory gunshots into the air.
British and French intelligence officers were said to have played a key role in planning the final rebel assault on Tripoli.
Thousands of rebel fighters and Tripoli residents swarmed into Green Square — the scene of Gaddafi’s rallies at the start of the uprising — and began ripping down regime posters and stamping on them or riddling them with bullets.
They waved machetes and automatic rifles as they chanted victory slogans.
07.52 BBC Foreign Editor Jon Williams reports that both American and British diplomats have been working behind the scenes in preparation for the fall of the regime:
For months, senior UK diplomat been in Benghazi working with NTC on "stabilization" - what happens on day one. Guess this is it #Libya
Jon Williams
WilliamsJon
07.45 As the regime of 42-years collapses in the morning light, one question hangs above all others: where is Gaddafi? There have been mixed reports throughout the night that he had fled to his birthplace of Sirte, his ancestral home of Sahba, or else to a neighbouring country.
The latest report from AFP, citing a diplomatic source, is that the dictator is still holed up in his compound in central Tripoli. This morning there was heavy fighting around the al-Aziziya complex, with reporters hearing sustained machine gun and rifle fire.
07.40 Oil prices are falling as investors gamble that the regime's collapse will lead to increased exports. On Friday brent crude was trading at $109/barrel - this morning the price is down to $105.6.
07.30 Some footage from Sky News's Alex Crawford, who has spent the night shooting some of the most riveting and dramatic reporting from the Libyan capital. Andrew Hough reports on the race to provide the best television pictures.
As Col Muammar Gaddafi’s power “crumbled”, the three-time Royal Television Society (RTS) journalist of the year, reported live from the back of a pickup truck as rebels advanced towards the centre of the city.
The rolling news channel’s “special correspondent”, wearing a flak jacket and helmet, sat among rebels as gunfire echoed in the background in “celebration” at the imminent fall of the dicator's regime.
In stark contrast, the BBC only aired file footage from the outskirts of the capital that appeared to have been shot during the late afternoon.
Later, when the official Libyan spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim, spoke to reporters in Tripoli, Sky was several minutes ahead of the BBC in carrying the press conference live.
07:06 Damien McElroy, our correspondent in Libya, reports that there are wild rumours that Gaddafi has fled to the Algerian border in a bid to escape the country. Meanwhile, BBC Radio has reports of press photographers gathering at Tunisian airports hoping to catch a picture of the dictator should he arrive by plane.
06:57 A tank has been seen leaving the Gaddafi compound and shelling parts of Tripoli, rebel sources tell Al-Jazeera.
06:35 A rebel spokesman tells al-Jazeera that Gaddafi forces are still fighting in Tripoli, and control 15-20 per cent of the city (via Reuters).
06:25 AFP is reporting the sound of heavy fighting near Gaddafi's compound in central Tripoli. Fighting was also heard in the south of the capital from around 0400 GMT, with heavy weaponry and automatic rifle fire being deployed, it said.
Richard Spencer, one of our Middle East correspondents, said the area around Bab al-Aziziya, the heavily fortified Gaddafi leadership residence south of the centre of the city, and the nearby Rixos Hotel, where foreign journalists and some government officials have been base, is still under the control of the former regime.
06:11 David Cameron has cut short his break in Cornwall to return to London and will this morning chair a meeting of the National Security Council for Libya, Downing Street said.
05:45 Damien McElroy, our reporter on the ground, says that while celebrations continue in the renamed Martyrs' Square, Libyans are waking up to a new national order.
The hunt for Gaddafi goes on. In the cold light of dawn there remains parts of Tripoli where gunfire is not just celebratory but hostile. When that settles, the hard part of governing Libya begins.
05:37 Julia Gillard, Australia's prime minister, has urged Gaddafi to "get out of the way" of the rebellion sweeping his country and said the forces fighting his regime appeared to be on the cusp of a victory:
Events are moving very, very quickly but it obviously appears that the rebels are in Tripoli, that the rebels are about to secure Libya overall. Obviously the task is not yet done but from what we've seen on our TV screens that appears to be what will happen.
We continue to call on Colonel Gaddafiof the way, and of course we believe that he should face the international charges that are against him.
05:25 Outside the country, Libyans are celebrating the rebel's advance on Tripoli. In Washington DC, dozens of Libyan-Americans have gathered outside the White House, chanting: "Hip hip hooray, Gaddafi's gone today. One, two, three, Libya is free".
05:00 Good morning, for those just joining us here's a recap of the events over the past few hours:
•Rebel forces have swept into Tripoli, meeting little resistance from pro-Gaddafi troops.
•The rebels have amassed in Green Square, previously the heart of Gaddafi's empire, tearing down and burning pictures of Gaddafi and celebrating in jubliant scenes.
•Gaddafi's whereabouts are not known, but his son Saif al-Islam has been detained by rebel forces and his eldest son Mohammed is believed to be under house arrest.
•Barack Obama has said that the era of the Gaddafi regime is ending.
Rebels celebrate in Tajura, a suburb of Tripoli
Here is the latest from our team on the ground.
Libyan rebels claimed they sent fighters into Tripoli in a dawn raid by sea, reinforcing gunmen who launched the first uprising against Col Muammar Gaddafi since the start of the war. The rebels claimed that hours after they fought the first street battles of the war in Tripoli they had launched a daring mission to penetrate the capital, which until Saturday night had been considered Col Muammar Gaddafi's last stronghold.
Our team in Libya:
Damien McElroy in Tripoli
Rob Crilly in Benghazi
Nick Meo in Zintan
Chân thành cám ơn Quý Anh Chị ghé thăm "conbenho Nguyễn Hoài Trang Blog"
Xin được lắng nghe ý kiến chia sẻ của Quý Anh Chị trực tiếp tại Diễn Đàn Paltalk: 1Latdo Tapdoan Vietgian CSVN Phanquoc Bannuoc .
Kính chúc Sức Khỏe Quý Anh Chị .
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