Libyan rebels have pushed to Tripoli after capturing a military base defending the capital, the stronghold of long-time leader Moammar Gadhafi.
Reporters traveling with the rebels say they entered the western suburbs of Tripoli Sunday evening, just hours after overrunning the base 27 kilometers to the west. The rebel fighters hauled away truckloads of weapons and ammunition from the captured base.
The rebels say they also control three districts of the capital after fighting inside the city overnight into Sunday. Witnesses in Tripoli reported anti-Gadhafi demonstrations in those districts late Saturday.
The rebels claim they were able to land some fighters in Tripoli by sea from the port of Misrata, east of the capital.
Libyan state television on Sunday broadcast audio of Mr. Gadhafi saying he is in Tripoli and will defend it. He said he will never give up.
It was his second broadcast message in less than 24 hours. In another audio late Saturday, Mr. Gadhafi urged his supporters to “march by the millions” and squash the uprising. He dismissed the rebellion as an ill-fated attempt by “traitors” and “rats.”
A government spokesman said Sunday that Tripoli is well protected by thousands of professional soldiers, and he called the rebels “armed gangs” whose success can only be attributed to NATO.
In a political victory for the rebels, the Tunisian news agency TAP announced Sunday that Tunisia’s government has officially recognized the Transitional National Council as the legitimate representative of Libyans.
U.S. President Barack Obama was briefed on the Libya situation by a senior security adviser. A U.S. spokesman said the White House believes “Gadhafi’s days are numbered.”
Mr. Gadhafi has seen the areas under his control shrink significantly in recent weeks as rebels advance on Tripoli from the west, east and south after six months of fighting to end his four-decade autocratic rule.
NATO warplanes have been supporting the rebels by bombing pro-Gadhafi forces under a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing military action to protect Libyan civilians from government attacks.
Meanwhile, two more Gadhafi aides appear to have defected. Officials with Libya’s opposition National Transitional Council say the Libyan leader’s former number-two, Abdel-Salam Jalloud, is in Italy Sunday after joining their ranks a day earlier.
Tunisian officials also said Libyan Oil Minister Omran Abukraa has decided not to return to Libya after a recent mission to Italy.
