People celebrate the capture in Tripoli of Moammar Gadhafi\'s son and one-time heir apparent, Seif al-Islam, at the rebel-held town of Benghazi, Libya, early Monday, Aug. 22, 2011. (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)
Heavy fighting broke out near Muammar Gaddafi\'s compound in Tripoli on Monday as the rebels battling for his overthrow met with opposition from forces still loyal to the Libyan dictator.
Following a euphoric night, during which the rebels swept into the capital and appeared to be edging their six-month struggle towards triumph, clashes were reported in the vicinity of Gaddafi\'s complex, known as Bab al-Aziziya, and Tripoli remained tense and anxious. Foreign journalists in the city reported hearing gunfire and explosions, while pockets of resistance appeared to be launching last-ditch attempts to fight back.
A rebel spokesman, Muhammad Abdel-Rahman, told the Associated Press that tanks had begun firing from the compound early in the morning and said that troops loyal to Gaddafi were still a threat. As long as Gaddafi\'s whereabouts were unknown, he added, the "danger is still out there." Another rebel spokesman told al-Jazeera that pro-regime forces were estimated to be in control of 15-20% of Tripoli. On Sunday night, the rebels said they had extended their influence over 95% of the capital.
It is not known where Gaddafi is, with one rumour claiming him to have remained in his bunker and another locating him somewhere in Algeria. The rebels did, however, claim two important victories as one of the dictator\'s sons, Muhammad, was placed under house arrest and another, Saif al-Islam – once considered the suave, British-educated face of the regime – was captured. The ICC, which wants to try Saif on charges of crimes against humanity, said he should be handed over.
In a series of audio messages on Sunday, Gaddafi called on his supporters to oppose the "rats" attacking him. "I am afraid if we don\'t act, they will burn Tripoli," he said. "There will be no more water, food, electricity or freedom." The increasingly isolated leader, whose prime minister, Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi, is reported to have fled to Tunisia, said he was breaking out weapon stores to arm the population.
Such was the drama of events that Downing Street announced overnight that David Cameron had cut short his holiday in Cornwall to chair a meeting of the National Security Council for Libya on Monday morning.
In a statement from his holiday in Martha\'s Vineyard, Barack Obama said Libya had reached a "tipping point" and called on Gaddafi to face reality and step down. "The surest way for the bloodshed to end is simple: Muammar Gaddafi and his regime need to recognise that their rule has come to an end. Gaddafi needs to acknowledge the reality that he no longer controls Libya. He needs to relinquish power once and for all," he said.
In their march on the capital on Sunday, the rebels met with a marked lack of resistance, sweeping in from the west to occupy most of the city within hours. Rebels and residents were reported to have set up checkpoints throughout the city, and celebrations broke out in the symbolic Green Square, which throughout the conflict had been used by the regime for demonstrations of support. Rebels immediately began calling it Martyrs Square.
"We are so happy – we made it here without any problems," one rebel fighter from the western Nafusa mountains, scene of a recent rebel push, told Reuters. Many Tripoli residents said they had been sent a text message from the National Transitional Council (NTC) reading: "God is Great. We congratulate the Libyan people on the fall of Muammar Gaddafi."
One reason for the rebels\' startlingly rapid entrance into Tripoli – which had long seemed impregnable – was reported to be the secret allegiance of the commander of the special battalion guarding the capital. Senior rebel official Fathi al-Baja told the Associated Press that the commander\'s brother had been killed by the regime years ago, and that he had been loyal to the rebels. When opposition forces reached the gates of Tripoli, the battalion promptly surrendered.
Baja also said the breakthrough had come after co-ordination between rebels, Nato and residents in Tripoli who were prepared to rise up against Gaddafi. Sleeper cells had been set up, he added, and armed by rebels smuggling weapons.
The embattled regime, however, remains defiant. Government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said it had "thousands and thousands of fighters". "We will fight. We have whole cities on our sides. They are coming en masse to protect Tripoli to join the fight," he said.