Gadhafi on the run as rebels fight in Tripoli
Updated: 2011-08-23 07:05
(chinadaily.com.cn)
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Welcome to our live rolling coverage of the unfolding events in Libya as the battle for Tripoli enters its second day. Fighting still continues in many parts of the capital as forces loyal to Gadhafi battle rebel forces. The whereabouts of colonel Gadhafi remain unknown. Here we will bring you the latest developments as they happen.
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5:20 am
The pan-Arab al-Jazeera TV quoted Libyan rebel military spokesman Col. Ahmed Bani as saying on Tuesday the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) is to move its headquarters from Benghazi to the capital of Tripoli within two days.
4:40 am
Members of the Libyan rebel National Transitional Council are expected to hold a summit with representatives from the United States, France, Italy, Britain, Turkey and Qatar in the Qatari capital of Doha on Wednesday to discuss the reconstruction of war-torn Libya, Chairman of the National Transitional Council's Executive Bureau Mahmoud Jibril said Tuesday.
3:20 am
The Iraqi government and many walks of the social life voiced their support for Libyan rebels on Tuesday, as the opposition forces have claimed the control of the capital city Tripoli.
2:35 am
A UN spokesperson on Tuesday said the urgent meeting on Libya, which will take place on Friday with the heads of regional and international organizations, will "develop ways in which the international community can work together on the post-conflict phase."
1:50 am
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi would meet Libyan rebel leader Mahmoud Jibril Thursday in Milan, Berlusconi's office said Tuesday.
1:20 am
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and U.S. President Barack Obama agreed to continue military support to Libyan rebels as long as the Gaddafi regime and his troops refuse to surrender, the Elysee Palace said Tuesday in a statement.
0: 15 am
The majority of Algeria newspapers issued Tuesday were surprised at the quick fall of Tripoli, while bemoaning Algeria's official position toward the civil war in Libya.
11:15 pm
A NATO spokesman on Tuesday said the military alliance's mission would continue in Libya, saying that the embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was not the ultimate target.
10:40 pm
Brazil has received information that its companies' contracts would be respected by a new government in Libya, Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota told Reuters on Tuesday.
10:24 pm
Libyan rebels have already entered the first gate of the Muammar Gaddafi's tightly-guarded Bab al- Azizya compound in Tripoli, after a NATO warplane had bombed the compound, Al-Jazeera television reported.
9:51 pm
NATO forces bombarded Muammar Gaddafi's stronghold of Bab al-Aziziya in the Libyan capital on Tuesday as rebel fighters and Gaddafi loyalists fought around the heavily fortified compound, an Al Jazeera correspondent reported.
9:34 pm
Iraq on Tuesday formally recognised the rebel National Transitional Council as Libya's representative, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
8:56 pm
Libyan rebel fighters surrounded Muammar Gaddafi's fortified Bab al-Aziziya compound in Tripoli on Tuesday and some entered one of its outer gates, an Al Jazeera correspondent said.
8:35 pm
Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi are withdrawing towards the city of Sirte, Gaddafi's hometown, Al-Jazerra television reported.
8:16 pm
Libyan rebels have launched heavy attacks at the Bab al-Aziziyah compound of embattled leader Muammar Gaddafi in Tripoli, Arab television Al Arabiya reported Tuesday.
8:00 pm
Heavy fighting could be heard on Tuesday near the hotel housing foreign journalists in the Libyan capital Tripoli, a Reuters witness said.
7:14 pm
Libya's embattled leader Muammar Gaddafi will either flee the country or will be captured but is unlikely to surrender, Libyan ambassador to Rome, Abdulhafed Gaddur, told a local radio on Tuesday.
7:05 pm
Rebel fighters in eastern Libya advanced towards the oil terminal of Ras Lanuf after taking the coastal town of Ageila from forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, Al Jazeera television reported on Tuesday.
6:35 pm
The Gulf Arab state of Bahrain has recognised the rebel National Transitional Council as the sole representative of the people of Libya, Bahrain's state news agency said on Tuesday.
6:26 pm
Libyan rebels told a rescue ship not to dock at Tripoli port on Tuesday because conditions were "not optimum", leaving thousands of foreigners stranded at their embassies and waiting for the all clear to leave.
6:16 pm
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe and Defense Minister Gerard Longuet said Tuesday opposition victory in Libya is "not complete" yet in a more prudent tune.
6:10 pm
Libyan rebels were locked in clashes with remnants of pro-Gaddafi forces in some neighborhoods in the capital Tripoli, Al-Jazeera television reported in a written flash news on Tuesday.
6:00 pm
The International Criminal Court said on Tuesday it had never received official confirmation from the Libyan rebels' council that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of Muammar Gaddafi, had been captured.
5:35 pm
UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has said it is "only a matter of time" before Col Gadhafi's regime in Libya is defeated, BBC reports. After chairing a meeting of the National Security Council in London, Mr Clegg said the reappearance of Col Gadhafi's son Saif al-Islam was "not the sign of some great comeback" for the regime.
5:13 pm
Former Croatian President Stipe Mesic who has close ties Colonel Gadhafi said that the Libyan leader told him he was ready to step down if NATO ended its airstrikes, AFP reports.
5:09 pm
Fresh explosions can been heard and seen in Tripoli. Live video on Al Jazeera news channel shows smoke billowing over buildings as the sound of gunfire echoes around the city.
5 pm
Damien McElroy, a journalist with London’s Daily Telegraph, is also reporting heavy gunfire in Tripoli and for the first time multiple rocket launchers being used. “There has been a massive drive of rebels through the centre of Tripoli along the western road. Two hundred vehicles and fighters chanting "God is great" are moving west. It is unclear if it is reinforcements moving around the city compound or whether it is the rebels making a retreat.”