:00:15. > :00:20.This is BBC World News Today with me, Philippa Thomas. The battle for
:00:20. > :00:24.Tripoli intensifies. Opposition fighters storm into Colonel
:00:24. > :00:28.Gaddafi's compound. Scenes of rebel jubilation as they control the
:00:28. > :00:34.compound. They believe it is the end of decades of dictatorship.
:00:34. > :00:38.the rebels they are there in his front door. They are there shouting
:00:39. > :00:44.Allah is great. There is no sign of the Libyan leader and his sons, but
:00:44. > :00:49.NATO says it is clear that Colonel Gaddafi will soon be history.
:00:49. > :00:54.the Gaddafi regime this is the final chapter. The end is near. And
:00:54. > :00:58.events are moving fast. But hours earlier one of Colonel
:00:58. > :01:08.Gaddafi's sons, Saif al-Islam, appeared before cheering supporters,
:01:08. > :01:13.
:01:13. > :01:16.saying his father was safe and Hello and welcome.
:01:16. > :01:19.The battle for Tripoli rages on. There have been scenes of rejoicing
:01:19. > :01:22.in the past few hours as opposition fighters have taken control of
:01:22. > :01:30.Colonel Gaddafi's compound, his power base in the heart of the
:01:30. > :01:35.capital, and destroyed much-hated symbols of Gaddafi's regime. We are
:01:35. > :01:41.going to bring you right up to date now. My colleague, Lyse Doucet, has
:01:42. > :01:48.reached Tripoli. Over to her. Welcome to the Libyan capital,
:01:48. > :01:52.Tripoli. I'm deuce deuce duties. We are here on a day when after more
:01:52. > :01:57.than six months of bloody battle across this country, the battle for
:01:57. > :02:01.the capital, Tripoli, the prize, has taken a decisive turn. The
:02:01. > :02:09.rebels have now overrun the Bab Al- Aziziya compound. It means the
:02:09. > :02:16.Arabic, the Splendid Gate. The compound sprawls for miles across
:02:16. > :02:21.this capital. It seems the compound was impregnable and yet the rebels
:02:21. > :02:25.took it, with little resistance. It began earlier today when rebels in
:02:25. > :02:28.pick-up trucks bristling with guns streamed into the capital. They
:02:28. > :02:33.breached one of the walls and within a matter of time they were
:02:33. > :02:37.inside. Ever since then, this capital has resonated to the sound
:02:37. > :02:42.of celebrity fire. When we drove into the capital a short time ago,
:02:42. > :02:47.there were celebrations all along the road. The battle may not be
:02:47. > :02:53.over yet. Libyans say they can't truly celebrate until they know
:02:53. > :02:58.where is Colonel Gaddafi, the man who has ruled this country 41 years.
:02:58. > :03:02.Only a few more years to go before he would have reached 42 years.
:03:02. > :03:07.Where are his sons, including Saif al-Islam? These are still questions
:03:07. > :03:11.that have to be answered. Today was a decisive victory for the rebels.
:03:11. > :03:15.My colleague, Rupert Wingfield- Hayes, now reports. GUNFIRE
:03:15. > :03:22.This is the moment millions of Libyans have been waiting for
:03:22. > :03:26.through six months of bitter fighting and 42 years of brutal
:03:26. > :03:31.dictatorship. The Libyan leader's skpound has been smashed to pieces
:03:31. > :03:35.by NATO bombing but the rebels found plenty to take their anger
:03:35. > :03:39.out on. Earlier this afternoon they had swarmed around the compound
:03:39. > :03:44.walls as NATO jets swept in and pounded it again from above. But
:03:44. > :03:53.with his compound now in rebel hands, there is still no sign of
:03:53. > :03:57.Colonel Gaddafi himself. We watched as the Brigade set out from western
:03:57. > :04:04.Tripoli at lunch time. After yesterday's set-backs their spirits
:04:04. > :04:08.are once again high. They believe the end is close. The rebel flag is
:04:08. > :04:13.now flying over more and more neighbourhoods of Tripoli. Bit by
:04:13. > :04:16.bit the rebels are taking control. So this is what we've been finding
:04:16. > :04:20.as we've driven into the western part of Tripoli this morning. These
:04:20. > :04:22.men have formed themselves into a local militia. They all come from
:04:22. > :04:27.this neighbourhood. They know each other. They've armed themselves.
:04:27. > :04:36.They are setting is up checkpoints to defend their neighbourhoods from
:04:36. > :04:43.Gaddafi's militia. Last night they killed a Gaddafi gunman in this car.
:04:43. > :04:48.Last Then he taunts Saif al-Islam to come to this neighbourhood.
:04:48. > :04:52.here shoot a man. I swear to God we die soon. After months of fear
:04:52. > :04:56.people are coming back out on to the streets here, including this
:04:56. > :05:01.British woman out driving for the first time in weeks. And yet
:05:01. > :05:06.there's been heavy fighting in the middle of the city. And I'm sure
:05:06. > :05:11.there will be, because his hard- liners are there, who will die for
:05:11. > :05:14.him. Everyone is in their houses waiting to come out. Really, we are
:05:14. > :05:18.celebrating indoors. It is frustrating. It is bad news about
:05:18. > :05:22.Saif al-Islam, but believe me the Libyan people are 90% with the
:05:22. > :05:26.opposition. Even military officers have joined the rebellion,
:05:26. > :05:33.disgusted at being ordered to attack civilians. How long do you
:05:33. > :05:37.think it will take before he is defeated? Maybe two nights, maximum
:05:37. > :05:43.two days. It has been a long, hard and bloody road for these rebels
:05:43. > :05:53.over the last six months. They are now all desperate for this bloody
:05:53. > :05:57.conflict to be over. It is too soon to say this war is
:05:57. > :06:03.over. You will remember the ecstatic scenes in some parts of
:06:03. > :06:05.Tripoli on Sunday night when rebels came into the capital declaring
:06:05. > :06:09.victory. There were reports at the time that Saif al-Islam, Colonel
:06:09. > :06:12.Gaddafi's son, widely regarded as his heir apparent, had been
:06:12. > :06:17.arrested and would soon be handed over to the International Criminal
:06:17. > :06:21.Court. My colleague Matthew Price was indeed surprised when he ran
:06:21. > :06:27.into Saif al-Islam yesterday at the Rixos Hotel, not far from the Bab
:06:27. > :06:30.Al-Aziziya, yesterday. In the dark of the Tripoli night,
:06:30. > :06:37.Saif al-Islam emerged from the shadows, clearly not under rebel
:06:37. > :06:42.arrest and here, he said, to dismiss the rumours. TRANSLATION:
:06:42. > :06:47.NATO and the West has high- technology. They stopped TV
:06:47. > :06:52.broadcasting and radio. They have launched electronic warfare, and
:06:52. > :06:57.through media they have managed to smugle into the country gangs and
:06:57. > :07:02.somebody tours. But the Libyan people, men and women, has stood
:07:02. > :07:09.firm against them and managed to break the backbone of the rebels
:07:09. > :07:14.and rats and gangs. GUNFIRE He took a foreign cameraman on a
:07:14. > :07:20.tour of part of the city. They drove past checkpoints controlled
:07:20. > :07:25.by Gaddafi loyalists, passed groups of people lining up to be given
:07:25. > :07:29.weapons. It was a short drive, but covered a sizeable area around
:07:29. > :07:35.Colonel Gaddafi's compound and the south-eastern part of the Tripoli.
:07:35. > :07:40.Clearly these are in Government hands. It is our country. It is our
:07:40. > :07:45.people. We live here and we die here. We are going to win, because
:07:45. > :07:50.the people are with us. Saif al- Islam's convoy has just left here.
:07:50. > :07:54.Away from our camera he told us that he - supporters of Colonel
:07:54. > :07:59.Gaddafi coming in. He told us they had broken the backbone of the
:07:59. > :08:04.rebels. We gave them a hard time so we are wing, he said. Asked about
:08:04. > :08:10.his father, Colonel Gaddafi, is he safe and well and in Tripoli, he
:08:10. > :08:13.said, "Yes, of course." Saif al- Islam was pumped full of adrenaline
:08:13. > :08:17.and was smiling. It is clear loyalists are fighting back in
:08:17. > :08:21.parts of Tripoli. The sudden appearance of Saif al-Islam said
:08:21. > :08:31.just yesterday to have been captured by the rebls will only
:08:31. > :08:33.
:08:33. > :08:38.embolden them further. -- rebels.
:08:38. > :08:43.Parts of Tripoli exploded in celebration with the celebrity
:08:43. > :08:47.gunfire. This area is now plunged into darkness. In other parts of
:08:47. > :08:52.the city we can see the lights are still on. What are residents of
:08:52. > :08:57.this city thinking now? You will know from our coverage over the
:08:57. > :09:07.past months that our correspondents have seen the demonstrations in
:09:07. > :09:09.
:09:09. > :09:13.support of this. What is the future for this truly divided city? James
:09:13. > :09:18.Robbins supports. The battle for Tripoli remains intense. As rebels
:09:18. > :09:22.try to push Gaddafi's forces into smaller and smaller pockets of the
:09:22. > :09:27.capital. As long as the battle rages civilians are still at grave
:09:27. > :09:32.risk. We've been hearing from a section of this front line, where
:09:32. > :09:42.Karen Graham, a nurse from done Barton, is part of a nursing team
:09:42. > :10:10.
:10:10. > :10:15.overwhelmed by casualties. It is From a variety of credible sources
:10:15. > :10:18.it seems that large and expanding parts of the capital are in rebel
:10:18. > :10:23.hands, although not necessarily entirely secure. These are some of
:10:23. > :10:27.the areas where Gaddafi has lost control since last Sunday. But
:10:27. > :10:30.tonight the big breakthrough for the rebels. They stormed gad
:10:30. > :10:34.aftery's fortified compound close to the Rixos Hotel, where some
:10:34. > :10:38.foreign journalists are based and where Saif al-Islam appeared last
:10:38. > :10:43.night. You can see the outer wall now breached by the rebels, who
:10:43. > :10:47.have overrun the entire area. In one corner a substantial military
:10:47. > :10:51.installation hit by NATO missiles weeks ago. And at the centre the
:10:51. > :10:56.area used for scores of Gaddafi rallies over the years, where
:10:56. > :11:00.rebels have been pulling down Gaddafi's statues. The symbolism of
:11:00. > :11:05.this compound is immense, so taking it has great significance. The
:11:05. > :11:09.rebels also seem to have entered one of Tripoli's airports. This
:11:09. > :11:13.footage can't be verified. It is a possible escape route for Colonel
:11:13. > :11:17.Gaddafi, whose whereabouts are still unknown. NATO is clear the
:11:17. > :11:23.tide against him has overwhelmingly turned. For the Gaddafi regime this
:11:23. > :11:27.is the time chapter, the end is near and events are moving fast.
:11:27. > :11:34.What's clear to everybody is that Gaddafi is history and the sooner
:11:34. > :11:39.he realises it the better. battle for Tripoli is still not
:11:39. > :11:43.over, which means the rebels cannot yet move their headquarters from
:11:43. > :11:49.the eastern city of Benghazi and start rebuilding Libya on new-
:11:49. > :11:53.foundations. We are getting reports that tonight
:11:53. > :11:57.the National Transitional Council in Benghazi is even planning to
:11:57. > :12:00.come to Tripoli as early as tomorrow to start setting up a new
:12:00. > :12:03.administration. They've said that before. We'll have to see what the
:12:03. > :12:08.city looks like tomorrow in the broad light of day. But certainly
:12:09. > :12:13.the big question is, who will run Libya now, and how will it be run?
:12:13. > :12:16.After decades of Colonel Gaddafi's green revolution, where he
:12:16. > :12:22.basically did away with all the institutions of a normal
:12:22. > :12:25.functioning state and ruled through his popular revolutionary committee.
:12:25. > :12:30.Who are these rebel leaders and what new ideas will they bring to
:12:30. > :12:34.this country? Paul Wood reports from the eastern city of Benghazi,
:12:34. > :12:38.the stronghold of the rebels and their headquarters.
:12:38. > :12:42.They are students, businessmen, teachers. Most holding a gun for
:12:42. > :12:48.the first time. They rose up with no outside help. And they would
:12:48. > :12:54.have been crushed but for NATO's help. Now the rebels stand on the
:12:54. > :12:58.brink of victory. Already recognised by many as Libya's elect
:12:58. > :13:02.mat Government. Are they united? The rebels National Transitional
:13:02. > :13:07.Council is a mix of factions, with little more in common than dislike
:13:07. > :13:11.of Colonel Gaddafi. It is an uneasy coalition, between the east and the
:13:11. > :13:17.west of the country, Islamist and secular, former members of the
:13:17. > :13:25.regime and long-standing exiles. That's going to be a potpourri of
:13:25. > :13:28.different ideas and ideologies. If they all work within a constitution
:13:28. > :13:34.everyone is free to have their own thoughts and say what they think.
:13:34. > :13:37.So will the rebels succeed? First they need to remove Gaddafi and
:13:37. > :13:42.their credibility was badly dented when his son, Saif al-Islam,
:13:42. > :13:47.appeared in Tripoli. The rebels had said he was in custody. But even if
:13:47. > :13:52.Saif al-Islam and his father are sent to The Hague a new Government
:13:52. > :13:57.will need many of those who fought for them. We've learned experience
:13:57. > :14:03.from the eastern side in Benghazi, where the police and the security
:14:03. > :14:08.people left their jobs and we had a problem to bring them back. No, in
:14:08. > :14:12.Tripoli we will not do that. They are a measured part of rebuilding
:14:12. > :14:17.the security infrastructure. rebel political leadership have
:14:18. > :14:21.said there can be no revenge killings of Gaddafi loyalists. They
:14:21. > :14:25.would risk losing the support of NATO countries who had got them
:14:25. > :14:30.this far, and undermine the legitimacy of the new Government.
:14:30. > :14:35.So no single, forceful and charismatic political personality
:14:35. > :14:38.has emerged, somebody who can perhaps heal the divisions. But
:14:39. > :14:44.after more than four decades of rule by Colonel Gaddafi, Libyans
:14:44. > :14:48.may feel another strongman is exactly what they don't want.
:14:48. > :14:52.The rebels insist the changeover of power will happen within the rule
:14:52. > :15:02.of law. There can be no blood bath in Tripoli. The character of the
:15:02. > :15:03.
:15:04. > :15:09.Libyan revolution will be tested and revealed in the coming days.
:15:09. > :15:12.Paul Wood joins us from Benghazi. We are hearing reports here that
:15:12. > :15:22.the National Transitional Council could try to come here as early as
:15:22. > :15:40.
:15:40. > :15:45.That was always the original plan. The intention is that symbolically,
:15:45. > :15:52.they want the country to beat United in the bold capital. They
:15:52. > :15:58.always underlined the fact that they are making temporary camp in
:15:58. > :16:08.Benghazi, but want to get to Tripoli as quickly as possible.
:16:08. > :16:13.
:16:13. > :16:23.When we say the council will be coming, who does that mean?
:16:23. > :16:24.
:16:24. > :16:28.head of the council is out of Libya at the moment. They have been
:16:28. > :16:35.preparing for this moment for a long time. They have been talking
:16:35. > :16:42.to experts from countries like Britain. When they have achieved
:16:42. > :16:48.victory, I think the immediate task will be to stop those revenge
:16:48. > :16:51.killings. That is such a priority for the head of the National
:16:51. > :16:56.Transitional Council that he has threatened to resign if his
:16:56. > :17:03.military commanders do not followed through with that. They have a
:17:03. > :17:07.special unit, which is moving in with the specific task of securing
:17:07. > :17:15.a infrastructures and government buildings, making sure Tripoli does
:17:15. > :17:21.not undergo the same disorder that Baghdad had in 2003. That will
:17:21. > :17:29.undermine the legitimacy of any new government. I imagine there will be
:17:29. > :17:35.much more cautious end up their reporting. There were embarrassing
:17:35. > :17:41.reports that they had captured Saif Al-Islam, for example. I put that
:17:41. > :17:44.to a spokesman, and he said the credibility of the National
:17:44. > :17:52.Transitional Council had been dented. They all felt very bad
:17:52. > :18:01.about it. The explanation is torturers: There were agents
:18:01. > :18:04.wearing rebel uniforms, and they have given out misinformation on
:18:04. > :18:09.behalf of the loyalists. That is the explanation they are sticking
:18:10. > :18:19.with today. It does not bear sceptical inquiry, and they
:18:20. > :18:20.
:18:20. > :18:24.realised this has been a bad blow to their credibility. What is their
:18:24. > :18:33.policy when it comes to what to do about Colonel Gaddafi ones we know
:18:33. > :18:37.where he is? -- once we know. They also talked about putting these
:18:37. > :18:42.senior people on trial, and some are indicted by the International
:18:42. > :18:48.Criminal Court. The message from the leadership is that whatever is
:18:48. > :18:52.done it must be within the rule of law and with respect for the Libyan
:18:52. > :19:00.constitution. They do not want to see the streets running a red with
:19:00. > :19:06.blood, they do not want to start a new civil war. It is a rather more
:19:06. > :19:11.difficult question about exactly what will happen to him. Some rebel
:19:11. > :19:17.spokesman for said they will co- operate with the Hague, others have
:19:17. > :19:21.said no, he should be tried in the Libyan court. This is an issue to
:19:22. > :19:26.be decided by a new government. They are adamant it will be a trial
:19:26. > :19:36.and not an execution, but where that trout takes place still
:19:36. > :19:38.
:19:38. > :19:43.remains to be seen. -- that trial. Benghazi has been the headquarters
:19:43. > :19:52.for the National Transitional Council. That is how it all looks
:19:52. > :19:58.here and in this hour. -- here in this hour. We have seen months of
:19:58. > :20:04.conflict, at months of key cities going back and forth. Having
:20:04. > :20:10.travelled through southern and Libya, bet are areas where there is
:20:10. > :20:19.fighting between being rebels and Colonel Gaddafi loyalists. Other
:20:19. > :20:26.parts of the roads were taking part in negotiations. But tonight, there
:20:26. > :20:31.is a very loud celebration. They have taken one of the last as
:20:31. > :20:38.strong not in the capital of Colonel Gaddafi. But no confirmed
:20:38. > :20:48.reports of the colonel about -- the whereabouts of Colonel Gaddafi and
:20:48. > :20:55.
:20:55. > :21:02.his son. Some breaking news now: The east
:21:02. > :21:07.coast of the US has been hit by an earthquake. We understand it was
:21:07. > :21:12.centred in the state of Virginia. It shook much of Washington DC.
:21:12. > :21:15.Part of the Pentagon, White House and buildings were evacuated. We
:21:15. > :21:25.will bring you more on that as we get it.
:21:25. > :21:28.
:21:28. > :21:38.A for now, we will continue with our coverage of Libya.
:21:38. > :21:43.You commanded a NATO brigade in Bosnia. Your analysis, things are
:21:43. > :21:49.unfolding as they speak. But what is the state of play for the rebels
:21:49. > :21:54.in Libya? They are attempting to consolidate their control in
:21:54. > :22:00.Tripoli itself. They are doing quite a bit of mopping up as well
:22:00. > :22:04.with regard to Gaddafi's compound. Although they have captured the
:22:04. > :22:10.surface of the compound, we cannot know whether they have cleared all
:22:10. > :22:15.the tunnels and buildings. I suspect, also, they have to
:22:15. > :22:25.consider about the other areas where regime forces are holding out.
:22:25. > :22:25.
:22:25. > :22:33.The town of Brega, for example. Coming back to the compound itself,
:22:33. > :22:39.do you think it is too soon to say the rebels are in control of bet? -
:22:39. > :22:49.- of it? You have summarise did very well. They are in control of
:22:49. > :22:49.
:22:49. > :22:55.the surface, it would appear. He there will be a practical point,
:22:55. > :22:59.there may well be unexploded rockets or bombs there. And who
:22:59. > :23:07.knows whether there are regime forces and officials still holding
:23:07. > :23:14.out. And resume its resources in a sense of any last stand there could
:23:14. > :23:24.be taken by Gaddafi's family or his henchmen. Is there any danger of
:23:24. > :23:24.
:23:24. > :23:31.chemical, biological weaponry? would imagine that Gaddafi have --
:23:31. > :23:38.has close protection and bodyguards. But I imagine the rebels would be
:23:38. > :23:44.attempting to negotiate a surrender, particularly as the Benghazi
:23:44. > :23:48.authority would seek to bring Gaddafi to justice. On chemical and
:23:48. > :23:53.biological weapons, we have no evidence that Libya ever had
:23:53. > :23:59.biological weapons. When they came out of the colt, they did declare
:23:59. > :24:09.they had chemical weapons. -- out of the cold. A high proportion of
:24:09. > :24:10.
:24:10. > :24:19.those were decommissioned. If they have not been maintained, they may
:24:19. > :24:25.well have deteriorated, and might be a great hazard. As the Libyan
:24:25. > :24:30.Air Force seems to have been destroyed, we would also have to
:24:30. > :24:36.question their ability to deliver them. If they were to use them to
:24:36. > :24:46.military effect, or blind vengeance, they should have used them earlier
:24:46. > :24:47.
:24:47. > :24:56.in the war. What about NATO's wore a -- role in all of this? It is
:24:56. > :25:04.harder for them to come to play. Don't forget that politically, made
:25:04. > :25:11.a's military mission is to protect civilians. -- NATO's. NATO is
:25:11. > :25:16.taking measures to co-ordinate its air strikes with the rebel forces.
:25:16. > :25:23.A NATO spokesman admitted there were allied troops on the ground
:25:23. > :25:28.playing a role in co-ordinating his. But this is difficult stuff. It
:25:28. > :25:35.maintains quite a lot of training. I think that is beyond the
:25:35. > :25:40.credibility of the rebel forces on the ground. Even so, it carries a
:25:40. > :25:44.risk of civilian casualties. NATO is probably concentrating its
:25:44. > :25:52.resources on other things, for example carrying out surveillance
:25:52. > :26:00.on the rest of Libya. I imagined it is also trying to cut down on its
:26:00. > :26:04.missile launchers. We will go back to Tripoli now. Our
:26:04. > :26:10.Middle East correspondent joins us on the line. Give us an idea of
:26:10. > :26:20.what is happening around you. Darkness is falling here, and I had
:26:20. > :26:23.
:26:23. > :26:30.to withdraw from the compound. Gaddafi's owner troops started
:26:30. > :26:35.firing into the crowd. -- owner troops. He it is very difficult to
:26:35. > :26:43.hear what you are saying. We are having problems with the technology
:26:43. > :26:51.will stop we will try and come back to you. We should explain to allow
:26:51. > :26:59.viewers we have continuing coverage of what is happening in Tripoli. We
:26:59. > :27:07.also have news coming in of an earthquake, 5.8 magnitude, centred
:27:07. > :27:12.in the state of Virginia. We are showing you some pictures of
:27:12. > :27:22.Tripoli now, but I wanted a new that also, the US aviation
:27:22. > :27:24.
:27:24. > :27:29.authorities have a evacuated control towers. We will continue to
:27:29. > :27:34.turn you what is happening on the east coast of the US, and what is
:27:34. > :27:38.happening in North Africa, and Tripoli. We will get our
:27:38. > :27:46.correspondence on the ground and bring you all we have, and reaction
:27:46. > :27:56.on both those fronts. So it, continue to watch BBC World. But
:27:56. > :28:05.
:28:06. > :28:10.Hallowed, South East England it dodged it the worst of the
:28:10. > :28:19.thunderstorms. Elsewhere, along with sunshine, there will be shut
:28:19. > :28:25.was. Those showers courtesy of this area of low pressure. The showers
:28:25. > :28:29.tomorrow, initially in the West, and then they pop up elsewhere.
:28:29. > :28:39.Mostly during the morning. The second half of the day it will be
:28:39. > :28:41.
:28:41. > :28:49.drier and brighter. The South East avoid most of those showers and
:28:49. > :28:57.stays at dry will stop we will see showers en a South East England
:28:57. > :29:07.however. -- in South East England. A Wales, it is Thatcham and showers.
:29:07. > :29:10.