A tank bearing the rebel flag fires on a target in Zawiya. Picture:AP Source: AP
A wounded rebel fighter is lifted to a stretcher at a field hospital on the southern outskirts of Zawiya. Picture: AP Source: AP
- Rebels enter Tripoli by sea in covert operation
- Libyan Government calls for immediate ceasefire
- Rolling updates: Fighting in Libya as rebels advance
EXPLOSIONS and heavy gunfire rocked Tripoli overnight as rebels cut off supply lines to the capital and as battles raged between forces loyal to leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and the forces challenging his rule.
The rebels entered Tripoli by sea in a covert operation launched from their western enclave of Misrata, a rebel spokesman said, after a series of NATO bombing strikes throughout the day pounded the capital.
The rebels claim to have seized key towns surrounding Tripoli, and say they are advancing on the capital from the west.
Hundreds of rebel fighters entered and took control of an army barracks at a western entrance to Tripoli, raiding arms and ammunition from the military base, which lies some 27 kilometers from the capital on the road from Zawiya, according to AFP.
A Libyan rebel runs for cover during fighting against regime forces near the Gadayem forest, west of Tripoli. Picture: AFP
Source: AFP
The rebels also released dozens of prisoners held in the nearby village of Maya, 25 kilometers west of the capital, driving pale and emaciated detainees away from the facility in the middle of a clash around the jail, AFP said. Sky News earlier reported that the rebels encountered little resistance as they passed into the town and advanced toward Tripoli.
The rebels' offensive had prompted the Libyan government to call for an immediate cease-fire.
"We are here to, sincerely as always, appeal for an immediate cease-fire, an immediate halt of NATO's aggression against our nation, and for all parties to sit down and begin a peaceful way out of this crisis," government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim told a news conference in Tripoli.
"We believe unless the international community heeds this appeal, many people will be killed and terrible crimes will be committed inside several Libyan cities," he added.
With rebel forces advancing on Tripoli, Ibrahim said those who oppose Gaddafi had no "moral record," adding that if the rebels overran Tripoli they would not bring any "political agenda" to the city.
Residents said that anti-Gaddafi protesters, urged by text messages asking them to join the revolution, had gathered on the streets.
"We can hear shooting in different places," said one. "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."
A Libyan woman raises a rifle as tens of thousands of Libyans celebrate what the rebels claim to be the first uprising in Tripoli against the regime of leader Muammar Gaddafi, at Freedom Square in Benghazi. Picture: AFP
Source: AFP
The fighting inside Tripoli, combined with the rebel advance toward the city's outskirts, appeared to signal a decisive moment in Libya's six-month conflict.
Within Tripoli, a senior opposition figure claimed rebels had taken the eastern suburb of Tajoura and were fighting for control of the Mitiga airbase in the north.
There were also fierce clashes near the Souq al Juma area and the Fashloum district of the city.
Gaddafi himself reacted defiantly by denouncing the rebels and insisting the unrest in the capital had been crushed.
"We congratulate you on eliminating the remnants of the rats who spread around [Tripoli] tonight, and who were confronted by the people," he said on state TV.
Gaddafi's defiance was echoed by his son Saif al Islam, who said in a speech aired Sunday that the regime would not "abandon the fight" against the rebels.
The rebels have launched an operation called "Mermaid, which they hope will isolate Gaddafi and force his surrender or departure, a rebel spokesman told AFP.
Spokesman Ahmed Jibril said "operation Mermaid" is a joint effort between the Benghazi-based rebel Transitional National Council, insurgents fighting in and around Tripoli and NATO forces.
"The operation is also in coordination with NATO," he said, adding it would last several days "until we surround Gaddafi" to force him "either to surrender or to escape."
Libyan rebels run for cover during fighting against regime forces near the Gadayem forest, west of Tripoli. Picture: AFP
Source: AFP
Meanwhile, a Libyan TV presenter appeared on screen brandishing a firearm, telling viewers that she was ready to die fighting against the rebels.
Gaddafi's regime has been hit by a series of high-profile defections, including former premier Abdessalam Jalloud.
Jalloud, who has fled to Italy, added to the pressure on Gaddafi in statements broadcast Sunday on Al Jazeera, calling on his supporters to disown him, saying the "tyrant" will go and that "the noose has tightened around him."
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