Fighting has broken out again at Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's compound in Tripoli, one day after revels overran the complex and celebrated what they said was a major victory.

Rebels fended off gunfire from Gadhafi supporters Wednesday, and they took weapons, television sets and souvenirs from the site while continuing their search for Mr. Gadhafi. His whereabouts are unknown.

In a broadcast address, the Libyan leader urged residents of Tripoli to clear the capital of rebels. He said he had left Tripoli without being seen.

A pro-government television channel quoted Mr. Gadhafi earlier as saying he had retreated from the Bab al-Aziziya compound in a “tactical move” after dozens of NATO strikes there. Al-Rai TV reported Wednesday that Mr. Gadhafi addressed Libyans on a local radio station, saying he vowed martyrdom or victory in his fight against what he called NATO aggression.

Residents in Tripoli celebrated early Wednesday after the rebels stormed the Bab al-Aziziya compound, despite finding no sign of the embattled leader or his family.

Rebels do not have complete control of the city, however. Journalists heard heavy gunfire outside Tripoli's Rixos hotel, where pro-Gadhafi forces have kept them trapped.

The head of the rebel Transitional National Council, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, says days of fighting in Tripoli have left more than 400 people killed and 2,000 wounded. He did not specify whether he was talking about both sides.

Jalil also told France-24 Television that about 600 pro-Gadhafi fighters were captured but that the battle will not be over until the Libyan leader himself is a prisoner. Tripoli's new rebel military chief, Abdel-Hakim Belhaj, said late Tuesday that a small area of the vast Gadhafi compound is still under government control.

The rebels' de-facto prime minister, Mahmoud Jibril, is set to meet Wednesday in Paris with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose office said the two will discuss the situation in Libya and international efforts to support a political transition.

Residents in the Libyan port city of Zuara, near the Tunisian border, said loyalist forces continued to pound the town with mortars and rockets.

U.S. officials in Washington said Tuesday they believe Mr. Gadhafi is still in Libya.

Also Tuesday, Libyan rebels said they had taken control of the eastern oil port of Ras Lanuf. The major oil port is east on the road to Mr. Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte.

In addition to parts of Tripoli, pro-government forces also control at least two major cities affiliated with his tribe – Sabha, to the south, and Sirte, some 450 kilometers east of the capital along the coast.