Rebels ‘breach Gaddafi compound’

23 August 2011 Last updated at 11:21 ET

Rebels have breached Col Muammar Gaddafi’s compound in Tripoli, one of the few areas still under the Libyan leader’s control, witnesses say.

Earlier, rebel fighters streamed into the capital in dozens of pick-up trucks and began firing on the compound.

TV footage showed smoke rising from buildings across the city, and the sound of shelling could be heard.

Earlier, Col Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam appeared in Tripoli hours after rebels claimed he had been captured.

He insisted the government had “broken the backbone” of the rebel offensive and claimed they were winning the battle.

But western politicians, rebel leaders and Nato dismissed his claims.

“A brief appearance at the dead of night doesn’t indicate to me somebody who is in control of a country, or capital, or of anything much at all really,” said Nato spokeswoman Oana Lungescu.

But a rebel spokesman conceded that Saif al-Islam’s reappearance had not helped his cause.

“He was captured and apparently he escaped; that’s the information we’re getting. To be honest, it’s an embarrassment,” Hany Hassan Soufrakis told the BBC.

On Tuesday morning, rebel commanders said they would concentrate all of their efforts on attacking the the heavily fortified Bab al-Aziziya compound.

The BBC’s Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, who is with a rebel column on the western outskirts of Tripoli, says dozens of rebel vehicles poured into the capital to take part in the assault.

They believe the key to ending this conflict is to capture or kill Col Gaddafi, our correspondent says.

Footage from Sky News showed gangs of rebels gathered about 50m from the compound dressed in civilian clothes, some armed with rifles, others unarmed. The sound of tank shelling could be heard nearby.

The rebels were in celebratory mood, saying that they were convinced that the Gaddafi regime was on the verge of collapse.

Later reports said some rebels had breached the gates of the compound on Tuesday afternoon.

Next moves

Meanwhile, members of the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) in Benghazi say they plan to fly to the capital on Wednesday to start work on forming a new government.

NTC chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil has said all Gaddafi aides will face justice and fair criminal trials.

“I will stand trial for years I served as a minister in the Gaddafi government,” he told a news conference in Benghazi.

He advised Libyans to be tolerant, saying they should “avoid taking matters into their own hands and… abide by court rulings”.

The NTC leadership has expressed concern about revenge attacks by some of the mosaic of different groups which make up the revolutionary army.

In other developments:

• Turkey has announced it is giving $300m (£181m) to the NTC, including funds to form the new government
• Nato says it has destroyed two rocket launchers that were aiming fire at the town of Brega
• The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said a boat it sent to Tripoli to evacuate migrant workers was unable to dock because of the security situation
• Egypt and Bahrain formally recognised the NTC as the legitimate government of the Libyan people

The rebels swept into Tripoli at the weekend, but after a swift advance, they met stiff resistance in a number of areas on Monday.

World leaders have urged Col Gaddafi to step down. US President Barack Obama said elements of the Gaddafi regime continued to pose a threat.

The uprising against Col Gaddafi’s 41-year rule began in February. The rebels held the east of the country and pockets of the west, before making their push towards the capital at the weekend.

Nato air strikes have been targeting Col Gaddafi’s troops, acting on a UN mandate to protect civilians.

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