Libyan rebels seized Muammar Gaddafi’s compound in Tripoli on Tuesday after a fierce battle with loyalist forces. Rebel fighters streamed through the Libyan strongman’s sprawling Bab al- Aziziya compound Tuesday, firing in the air in celebration after hours of heavy clashes.
Libyan UN envoy Ibrahim Dabbashi said the compound was fully in the hands of opposition fighters, and that the country would be liberated within 72 hours.
Meanwhile, the whereabouts of Gadhafi remain unknown. Rebel officials said Gaddafi and other top officials were probably scattered in houses across Tripoli, although they could be in an underground shelter. “We will start soon looking (for) them and we expect all of them to be captured soon.”
But the embattled Libyan leader has vowed death or victory in the fight against “aggression.” Pro-Gaddafi al-Urubah TV said the colonel – whose whereabouts remain unknown – made an audio speech, saying the retreat from the Bab al-Aziziya compound was a “tactical move,” indicating the battle still rages on.
In the meantime, the rebel Transitional National Council is preparing to move their putative government to Tripoli from eastern Benghazi.
nato seizes compound