TRIPOLI, Libya — Libyan rebels claimed Monday to control 95 percent of the capital, Tripoli, while fighting raged at Moammar Khadafy’s central compound and the whereabouts of the dictator remained unclear.
Opposition forces hours earlier swept into the very heart of Tripoli, taking over the Khadafy stronghold of Green Square, renamed Martyrs Square, arresting two of his sons and sparking euphoria.
Mahmud Nacua, the Libyan opposition’s charge d’affaires in London, said rebels were in control of “95 percent” of Tripoli. He added that there was still no sign of Khadafy, but fighters were “turning every stone” to find him.
But Al Arabiya reported that crack forces commanded by Khamis Khadafy, one of the dictator’s sons, were heading through central Tripoli, while Reuters said that loyalist tanks were seen near Tripoli’s port.
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Nacua said the rebels planned to arrest Moammar Khadafy and put him on trial, though it was not clear if this referred to an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for the Libyan dictator.
The ICC said it was seeking the transfer of Khadafy’s son, Saif al Islam Khadafy, who was also wanted by the court on charges of crimes against humanity and was arrested by rebels Sunday.
Heavy fighting raged near Khadafy’s Bab al Aziziya compound, with heavy weaponry and automatic rifle fire being deployed. A tank reportedly was seen leaving the compound later and firing on various targets. There was also heavy fighting around the Rixos hotel, where foreign journalists have been centered throughout the conflict.
A column of hundreds of additional rebel fighters was seen heading into Tripoli, Sky News reported.
The 69-year-old despot’s whereabouts were unknown as of Monday morning. He broadcast three audio messages Sunday calling on his supporters to defend Tripoli and vowing not to leave.
Nacua earlier told Sky News that Khadafy was most likely still in his compound, saying that “he has no resources to run away.”
A diplomat who met with Khadafy in the past two weeks also said that Khadafy was in the compound, AFP reported.
The remains of the Libyan regime were in talks with South Africa over possible exile destinations, Al Jazeera reported. But the South African government denied that it was facilitating his departure and said Khadafy will not take asylum in South Africa.
Regardless of his fate, Khadafy’s long reign in the oil-rich North African nation appears certainly over, with the US, the UK and NATO calling for a peaceful transition of power to the opposition Transitional National Council (TNC).
US President Barack Obama, who is on vacation in Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., said that the momentum against Khadafy’s regime in Libya reached a tipping point as the people rose up for freedom.
“Tripoli is slipping from the grasp of a tyrant. The Khadafy regime is showing signs of collapsing. The people of Libya are showing that the universal pursuit of dignity and freedom is far stronger than the iron fist of a dictator,” he said in a statement.
The speed of the rebels’ march into Tripoli, after a campaign that began several months ago and until recently appeared badly bogged down, caught most observers by surprise. In historic scenes early Monday, rebel troops met little or no resistance as they surged into the city center, bringing thousands of civilians out into the streets in celebration.
As the foundations of the decades-long dictatorship collapsed, two of Khadafy’s sons, Saif and Mohammed, were detained by the opposition.
The ease at which the rebels advanced was seemingly partly due to a member of the battalion entrusted to guard the capital being secretly aligned with the opposition.