TRIPOLI: Libyan rebels on Tuesday launched a massive offensive on leader Moamer Qaddafi’s sprawling Bab Al-Azizya compound in Tripoli, as the strongman’s son refuted reports of his own arrest.
The sound of the fighting was the most intense heard in the city since rebels fighters surged into the capital three days ago, while thick smoke billowed out of the complex.
The sky was filled with the sound of heavy and light machine guns as well as mortars, with the overhead roar of NATO jets that have been carrying out much more intense air raids than in recent days.
Even two kilometers from the fighting, the almost constant whistle of falling bullets could be heard from the rooftops, as the city’s mosques chanted "Allahu Akbar" (God is the greatest).
Rebel leaders said fighters from their western bastion of Misrata, renowned for their prowess after breaking a months-long siege of the port city by Qaddafi’s forces, had joined Tripoli rebels in the assault, which also saw the deployment of tanks captured from loyalist forces.
They added, in a statement issued in their eastern capital Benghazi, that the insurgents earlier Tuesday had overrun the Tripoli base of the feared Khamis Brigade, named after and commanded by Qaddafi’s youngest son Khamis.
Exultant rebel fighters packed in trucks and cars have since Sunday streamed across the capital of the oil-rich North African state, seizing control of Qaddafi’s state television network and Tripoli’s seaside Green Square.
But the euphoria of their lightning entry into the heart of the capital, which sparked celebrations and predictions that Qaddafi’s days are numbered, has given way to caution that the fighting is far from over.
US President Barack Obama called for "an inclusive transition" in Libya, demanding that Qaddafi "explicitly" give up power and cautioned the rebels that their struggles were "not over yet."
French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet, who on Monday had declared "The regime has fallen, the turnaround is total", said on France Inter radio Tuesday: "In Libya the situation is not totally at an end, far from it."
The opposition’s credibility took a knock when its claims that Qaddafi’s son Seif Al-Islam had been arrested were refuted by none other than the man himself, who appeared before cheering armed loyalists outside Bab Al-Azizya in the early hours of Tuesday.
"Tripoli is under our control. Everyone should rest assured. All is well in Tripoli," Seif told journalists at the compound, smiling broadly and flashing the V for victory sign.
"I am here to refute the lies," the 39-year-old said about reports of his arrest, and accused the West of waging a "technological and media war to cause chaos and terror in Libya."
Seif, who like his father is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity, said Qaddafi and his entire family were still in Tripoli, denying rumors he has fled.
Qaddafi broadcast three defiant audio messages on Sunday, vowing he would never surrender and urging the people of Tripoli to "purge the capital". But he has not been seen in public for weeks as the rebels have crept ever closer.
The opposition also suffered another setback when Mohammed Qaddafi, the leader’s eldest son, escaped from house arrest.
When contacted by AFP, several high level political leaders of the rebellion, including National Transitional Council (NTC) head Mustafa Abdel Jalil who first announced the arrest, refused to comment on the issue.
One rebel, however, on condition of anonymity said that, "We could have imprisoned them, but we wanted to treat them well," suggesting that the condition under which they had been held may have facilitated their escape.
British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg insisted in London that the defiant appearance of Seif was "not the sign of some great comeback for the Qaddafi regime".
"He is not roaming freely through Tripoli. He and the remaining pro-Qaddafi forces are now cornered, they are making their last stand, and it’s only a matter of time before they are finally defeated," Clegg said.
Outside of the capital, the rebels said they had cut off a column of pro-Qaddafi troops attempting to march on Tripoli from the city of Sirte, the leader’s hometown.
In the east, rebels pushed through the eastern front on Tuesday and were advancing on the oil hub town of Ras Lanuf on the road to Sirte, spokesman Mohammed Zawiwa said.
"Our fighters have advanced by more than 40 kilometers beyond Brega. We have gone past Bishr and tonight we should be in Ras Lanuf," which is on the way to Sirte to the west, Zawiwa told AFP.
In Brussels, NATO insisted Tuesday that Qaddafi’s time is up.
"The end is near," chief NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu told a press conference.
"For the Qaddafi regime, this is the final chapter — they’re fighting a losing battle," she said.
"A brief appearance in the dead of night doesn’t indicate to me someone who is in control of a capital," she said, referring to Seif. "It shows the remnants of the regime are on the run."
