Rebels warn 'zero hour' is upon Gaddafi as they begin assault on Tripoli
- Rebels move into Libyan capital, prompting wild celebrations Jubilant street parties held in Benghazi and Tunisia Defiant Gaddafi insists an assault by 'rats' has been repelled Government spokesman says 'thousands will defend us'
Last updated at 7:59 PM on 21st August 2011
Rebel forces entered Tripoli this evening as the anti-Gaddafi forces launched a significant offensive on the Libyan capital. Reports said that the force met no resistance as they entered the city from the west, with around 25,000 soldiers advancing. The move into the city follows last night's heavy fighting in the city involving the rebels and troops loyal to Colonel Gaddafi. A government official in the city said that 376 people died in last night's clashes while 1,000 were injured on both sides.
Advance: Rebels move towards the captured 27th bridge area of Tripoli during their move into the city
Celebration: A man cheers as he and a group of rebels advance through the town of Maia, around 25kms west of Tripoli
Libyan rebels running for cover during fighting near the Gadayem forest, west of Tripoli today
Gaddafi has vowed to remain in the city until the end, but tonight there were reports of clashes close to his compound
Journalists in the area said that rebels had reached the suburb of Janzour by nightfall on Sunday.There they were greeted by civilians lining the streets and waving flags in support.More...
Earlier the same rebels captured a major military base near the city and seized large stores of weapons. Troops advancing from outside the city took the base of Khamis Brigade, 16 miles to the west. It defends Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's stronghold and is a key gain for his opponents.
Smouldering: A vehicle belonging to forces loyal to Gaddafi smokes close to the the military base that forces attacked earlier today The Khamis are commanded by Gaddafi's 27-year-old son and are one of the best-trained and equipped units in the Libyan military. The rebels were seizing large stores of weapons from the base, driving away with truckloads of new supplies.Gaddafi's grip on power appears on the point of collapse after hours of fighting in Tripoli as his opponents rose up against the regime. They declared it the final push to topple the dictator after a six-month war, warning the 'zero hour' was now approaching for the leader.
Rebel forces have advanced on Tripoli and claim Gaddafi's 42-year rule is on its last legs
One woman told reporters by telephone: 'We are scared and staying in our houses, but the younger boys are going out to protect our homes.'Nuri al-Zawi, another resident said the rebels were using light arms to protect their streets, and in some cases were using only their bodies to fend off the Gaddafi troops riding in pickup trucks.'We are used to this situation now. We are a city that is cut off from the world now,' he said.Residents reported clashes in neighborhoods all over Tripoli as well as the city's Mitiga military airport. Mukhtar Lahab, a rebel commander closing in on Tripoli and a former captain in Gadhafi's army, said mosques were rallying residents. Many rebels are euphoric and have been heard shouting: 'We are getting to Tripoli tonight.'
Closing in: Libyan rebels take position during fighting against regime forces near the Gadayem forest, west of Tripoli Rebel Issam Wallani said: 'We are not going back. God willing, this evening we will enter Tripoli.'Gaddafi, in a defiant message on state television, insisted an assault by 'rats' had been repelled and the Government claimed 'thousands' were still prepared to defend him. But a rebel activist in Tripoli said pro-Gaddafi forces had positioned snipers on the rooftops of buildings around Bab al-Aziziyah, Gaddafi's compound.The fighting appeared to signal the decisive phase in a six month conflict that has become the bloodiest of the 'Arab Spring' uprisings and embroiled NATO powers.
Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam in a recorded speech aired on Libyan television today describing rebel claims of military victories against government forces as 'illusionary gains' But Gaddafi's fall is far from certain. His security forces did not buckle as some rebels had predicted. So far, the uprising appears to be isolated to a few neighbourhoods and has not spread to the whole city. Rebels said they controlled a handful of city neighbourhoods after Saturday's fighting but their ability to hold on will depend on when reinforcements from elsewhere arrive.
Message: An opponent of Gaddafi outside the Libyan embassy in Tunis today
Oliver Miles, a former British ambassador to Libya, said: 'The rebels may have risen too early in Tripoli and the result could be a lot of messy fighting. The regime may not have collapsed in the city to quite the extent they think it has.'
Government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim claimed there were still 'thousands and thousands of soldiers' willing to defend the city.
He accused the rebels of executing innocent civilians, torching homes and robberies. 'They are nothing without Nato,' he claimed.
He warned: 'If this city is captured the blood will run everywhere so they may as well fight to the end.'
And he added: 'We hold Mr Obama, Mr Cameron and Mr Sarkozy morally responsible for every single unnecessary death that takes place in this country.'The rebels said the uprising was being coordinated with anti-Gaddafi fighters outside the city. They were fighting towards Tripoli from the town of Zawiyah, to the west, and also along the main highway to the south of the capital. In an audio recording Gaddafi sought to show residents he was still in control. 'Those rats ... were attacked by the masses tonight and we eliminated them,' Gaddafi said. 'I know that there are air bombardments but the fireworks were louder than the sound of the bombs thrown by the aircraft.'
In the eastern city of Benghazi, the rebel National Transitional Council - seen by Western powers as Libya's legitimate government - said the fighting in Tripoli was part of a pre-planned and coordinated revolt. 'The zero hour has started. The rebels in Tripoli have risen up,' Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, vice-chairman of the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC), based in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, told Reuters. Gaddafi's influential former number two, Abdel Salam Jalloud, who defected to the rebel cause a day earlier, appeared on Al Jazeera by Internet video link and called on the capital to rise against 'the tyrant'. 'Tonight you claim victory over fear,' he said. An NTC official, Mohammed al-Allaqi, said Jalloud was in Rome.
In the eastern city of Benghazi, the rebel National Transitional Council - seen by Western powers as Libya's legitimate government - said the fighting in Tripoli was part of a pre-planned and coordinated revolt. 'The zero hour has started. The rebels in Tripoli have risen up,' Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, vice-chairman of the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC), based in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, told Reuters. Gaddafi's influential former number two, Abdel Salam Jalloud, who defected to the rebel cause a day earlier, appeared on Al Jazeera by Internet video link and called on the capital to rise against 'the tyrant'. 'Tonight you claim victory over fear,' he said. An NTC official, Mohammed al-Allaqi, said Jalloud was in Rome.
Jubilant: Tens of thousands of Libyans celebrate in Freedom Square in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi in what the rebels claim to be the first uprising in Tripoli against Gaddafi's regime
Joy: Celebrations continue in Freedom Square in Benghazi after reports of rebel advances. Several explosions and heavy gunfire were heard late last night in Tripoli
Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt said it was clear that the forces of the opposition National Transitional Council were building the pressure on Tripoli.Mr Burt said RAF fighters operating with Nato had played a 'significant' role in the last 24 hours, attacking key regime communications targets.'There has been very significant gains by the National Transitional Council forces. This is a gradual process of putting the pressure on the capital,' he told BBC News.'Our understanding has always been that there would not be an uprising in the capital until people were fairly sure on the ground that there would be some support available from those outside.
Delight: More celebrations in Tunis over the reported rebel advances in neighbouring Tripoli which Gaddafi insists have been 'eliminated'
'Clearly there are forces that have been waiting in Tripoli for the opportunity to express their opposition to the regime. '
The forces of the National Transitional Council clearly are much closer to Tripoli than they have ever been.'
The forces of the National Transitional Council clearly are much closer to Tripoli than they have ever been.'
Mr Burt said that attempts had been made by United Nations envoys to open negotiations with the regime but most efforts had been rebuffed.The clashes inside the capital triggered massive street celebrations in Benghazi as well as elsewhere in rebel-controlled parts of the country and in the capital of neighbouring Tunisia. Rebel advances on Tripoli have transformed the war since they seized the city of Zawiyah on Tripoli's Western outskirts a week ago, cutting the capital off from its main road link to the outside world and putting unprecedented pressure on Gaddafi.
Before dawn, state television showed Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam addressing what it called a youth conference. A roomful of supporters broke into occasional chants and applause as he declared that the rebels would be defeated. 'The revolt in Libya will not succeed. You will never see us as Libyans surrender and raise the white flag: that is impossible. This is our country and we will never leave it.' Residents in Tripoli said the fighting was triggered at sunset, when Muslim clerics used the loudspeakers on mosque minarets to call people on to the streets. 'We can hear shooting in different places,' one said. 'Most of the regions of the city have gone out, mostly young people ... it's the uprising... They went out after breaking the (Ramadan) fast.' 'They are shouting religious slogans: 'God is greatest!'' Washington says Gaddafi's days are numbered, and reports have emerged of more defections from his ranks. President Barack Obama, on vacation in Martha's Vineyard, was receiving regular updates on Libya, a senior White House official said. 'If Tripoli eventually falls to the rebels, Gaddafi's already limited options become even more limited. Pressure on him and his shrinking circle of loyalists has to be taking a serious toll,' a senior White House official said.
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