Libyans using bulldozers have started to demolish the walls around the main Tripoli complex of ousted leader Moammar Gadhafi.

National Transitional Council fighters overran the sprawling Bab al-Aziziyah compound in August. Many Gadhafi opponents see the walled compound, which covers some six square kilometers, as a glaring symbol of the former leader's 42-year autocratic rule.

The NTC interim government is leading the country until elections are held.

NTC officials have said the capture of the former leader's hometown, Sirte, would allow them to declare the country liberated. Battles still rage in the city as Gadhafi loyalists fight to hold their pockets of resistance.

The former Libyan leader's whereabouts are still unknown. The International Criminal Court at The Hague has issued a warrant for his arrest on charges of crimes against humanity.