Tripoli erupts in joy as Kadhafi compound falls

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TRIPOLI: Tripoli erupted in celebratory gunfire on Tuesday after rebels stormed and captured Moamer Kadhafi's heavily fortified compound, sending his troops fleeing and raising their flag in victory.

There was no sign of Kadhafi himself or any of his family, but failure to find the strongman who has ruled the oil-rich North African nation with an iron hand for four decades did not dampen enthusiasm.

Not long after once-feared Bab al-Azizya fell, the insurgent commander in Tripoli, Abdel Hakim Belhaj, said we "won the battle" for Tripoli, and that Kadhafi and his cronies had "fled like rats."

"The military battle is over now," he said, adding that 90 percent of Kadhafi's compound at Bab al-Azizya "has been secured" with some pockets of resistance remaining.

Proving that the fight was not yet over, at least five mortar bombs rained down on the complex after dark, sending fighters and an AFP correspondent fleeing the darkened maze of high-walled alleys.

A rebel later told AFP that he thought the defiant attack was launched from the capital's loyalist Abu Slim district.

"We will surround it tomorrow, and God willing we will take it. After that we must take the airport road," fighter Akram said.

"But tonight we celebrate. This is a great victory. I say to all the dictators in the world, stand down, and let people live in freedom."

Akram said that Kadhafi had tried to trick rebels by disguising loyalist fighters as cleaners, who pulled guns on rebels inside the compound.

"We killed them," he said, along with around 40 fighters from Abu Slim. The other loyalists in the compound were all African, he said.

Another rebel, Adel Abdel Fatah, said they had taken 60-70 prisoners during the assault, but had also let many loyalist troops go after they handed in their weapons.

But Akram said that there were many heavy steel doors in the underground part of the complex that they could not yet open.

From early in the day the rebels had launched fierce attack on the strongman's sprawling walled compound in the centre of the capital.

The sky was filled with the sound of heavy and light machine guns, as well as mortars, with the overhead roar of NATO jets.

Even two kilometres (about a mile) away from the fighting, the almost constant whistle of bullets could be heard from the rooftops, as chants of "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) blared from mosque minarets.

Then the news broke, first that the rebels had breached the walls, then that the compound covering several hectares (acres) had been captured. (AFP)