LIBYA: At least 100 rebel vehicles arrive in Tripoli from Misrata to help clear the Libyan capital.

Record ID: 588857

  • Title: LIBYA: At least 100 rebel vehicles arrive in Tripoli from Misrata to help clear the Libyan capital.
  • Date: 26th August 2011
  • Summary: TRIPOLI, LIBYA (AUGUST 25, 2011) (REUTERS) REBELS STANDING NEAR TRUCK / SOUND OF GUNFIRE IN BACKGROUND ROCKET LAUNCHERS IN BACK OF TRUCK REBELS ON TOP OF TRUCK LOADED WITH WEAPONS REBELS WAVING "PEACE" SIGN (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) UNIDENTIFIED LIBYAN REBEL SAYING: "Everything Gaddafi said is a lie. He wants to kill all of the Libyan people, that's why he gave orders to open all the weapons depots and arm the Libyan people and then people will kill each other. He has made it known that he has lost everything -- he has lost himself, lost his people and lost everything he has." LIBYAN REBELS IN TRUCK ARMED WITH WEAPON (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) UNIDENTIFIED LIBYAN REBEL SAYING: "He has nothing -- Gaddafi has nothing. Finish. Game over Gaddafi." REBEL STANDING NEAR TRUCK VARIOUS OF REBELS LOADING BULLET ROADS INTO WEAPON VARIOUS OF REBEL FORCES MOVING IN TRUCKS ON ROAD
  • Embargoed: 10th September 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Libya
  • Country: Libya
  • Topics: Conflict
  • Reuters ID: LVA8HIYBT4DCLUKOPW32EVH5KZOS
  • Story Text: Rebel fighters from Misrata - a rebel stronghold in the east - arrived in the Libyan capital on Thursday (August 25) as reinforcement to help clear the city.
    Residents of the Libyan capital were scrambling to find supplies, exploiting lulls in the battles still being fought in parts of the city to venture out of their homes and queue for bread.
    Two days after rebels stormed the compound that was the seat of Muammar Gaddafi's rule and forced him into hiding, most of the city was free of violence but chaotic.
    But even in districts that had seemed calm, fierce gunfights broke out suddenly, underlining the fact that the rebels' grip on security in this city is still fragile.
    The Corinthia hotel, a short walk from the central Green Square and in an area that had seem firmly under rebel control, was at the centre of a brief battle.
    Rebel fighters positioned in the grounds of the hotel used anti-aircraft guns and rocket-propelled grenades to fire at snipers in buildings nearby. Other rebel gunmen positioned themselves on the hotel roof.
    At the Bab al-Aziziya compound, fighters were still shooting their weapons in the air in celebration, 48 hours after their forces swept in.
    They climbed onto a statue of a gold fist holding a U.S. jet, erected by Gaddafi to mark a confrontation with the United States in the 1980s.
    Meanwhile, a few kilometres away, in a clearing by the seafront, stood at least 100 rebel vehicles. They were part of a force which had arrived in the city from Misrata.
    One rebel fighter from Misrata said Gaddafi had lost everything.
    "Everything Gaddafi said is a lie. He wants to kill all of the Libyan people, that's why he gave orders to open all the weapons depots and arm the Libyan people and then people will kill each other. He has made it known that he has lost everything -- he has lost himself, lost his people and lost everything he has."
    But with the fighting confined to small pockets, rebels had little to do. Some lay on blankets and others cleaned their weapons.
    "Gaddafi has nothing. Finish. Game over Gaddafi," said one.
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