tripoli in to a death trap. against the crusaders. no one can enter tripoli. tripoli will be an exploding bomb. we will do everything to protect tripoli and its people. we are experts in dealing with nato. tripoli would be a death trap. it is these rebels against the crusaders. >> recent radio messages only help to maintain the aura of fear that many libyans are living in. >> they are trying to make their presence made. anything -- anyone listening to that it is amazing to see, this is the regime that can strike some fear. into people here. they wonder whether there could be some grander scheme that may come into the fore. the imam -- it has been repeated against -- across neighborhoods was announcing to the speakers that the water supply in tripoli has been poisoned and there have been several cases that have wound up in the hospital and he was calling out to residents in the area to switch off the water supply so that their tanks on the rooftop do not get water from the state. a lot of rumors flying around. i would dismiss them as rumors. however, people have taken it very seriously. we saw a

tripoli would also fall? >> we've been waiting anxiously for months for tripoli to fall, and we're delighted for the people of tripoli. tripoli has been a city under siege for months now. and finally people can speak freely, demonstrate freely, and freedom is in their grasp. >> do you think the national transitional council is ready, is in a position to take over, for some kind of coherent government? >> i support the transitional -- the national transitional council. i mean, they have plans for -- security plans in place. i have faith in them. i do know the libyan people support them. they are our government. >> they have quite a specific blueprint that talks about there not being a security vacuum, that there will not be a power vacuum. you feel confident that they can deliver? >> i do feel confident that they will deliver. i mean, they have done great things so far. we have seen countries all over the world recognize them. and like i said, i have faith in them. i think they will deliver. >> jane, a law student speaking to us from benghazi. thank you. >> on the bbc live from singapore and london, still to come, the

kid off his compound in tripoli tripoli from the air one of the gadhafi son say fall islam who was earlier reported to have been arrested has made a surprise appearance in tripoli claiming the rebel forces backbone has been broken seargent say they are in control of most of the libyan capital while loyalists say they hold only a small part of it. independent journalists at the rixos hotel in tripoli they feel under siege and are in danger from what is happening outside. opposition supporters rejoice hoping the forty one year old regime is nearing a dead end but skeptics point to the bitter disillusionment that followed the fall of egypt's dictator. and e.u. leaders who rushed to hold talks with officials from libya's new government as the transitional council names several nato nations as.

tripoli -- zawiyah and garyan. if the coastal town falls, rubbles will control the main supply route from tunisia to tripoli. >> tripoli is starting to feel like a city under siege. the power cuts are taking their toll. one family brought out candles, and then their certificates. weapons training, provided by the government to loyal men and women. >> i am ready to take up a gun, ready to defend my country and gaddafi, who has done so much good for us. >> outside, gaddafi agents were on alert. as we left, we and our government minders were stopped. they took our government permits as armed loyalists checked every vehicle. >> this chart point we have been stopped at is manned by local people. we are told there are similar checkpoints across tripoli. at the moment, it is not normal. it is here because of the war. it is a sign of the tensions in the libyan capital right now. this is only increased the tension. 30 miles to the west, rebel forces are celebrating an advance on zawiyah. the rebels built the momentum is finally with them. but how much they hold and how long they can hold it for is unclear. libyan state televisi

closing in on the capital tripoli after reportedly taking full control of the western city of zawiya and now pushing colonel gadhafi troops back on the road to tripoli tripoli fifty kilometers to the east it follows their statement that the strategic oil on the brain is now under their full control after more than a week of fierce fighting for civil war which started over six months ago with nato intervening in march has claimed the lives of over two thousand people. a group of gunmen have ambushed a boss in karachi carrying plainclothes police officers killing at least six and injuring fifty eight the officers were on their way to carry out an arrangement armed men surrounded them and opened fire became a. scrunches police chief announced fifty two people had been killed in the city within the past three days the stands largest city has a long history of political and ethical violence over three hundred people were killed in karachi in july over. abbas has lost control and overturned on a mountain highway in southern afghanistan leaving thirty five people dead and injuring dozens some of them critically it happened just outside the city of kandahar on the

tripoli. >> the edge of the city of zawiya and behind me here, the bridge you can see is the highway between tripoli and the border. the rebels are in control of this highway and tripoli is cut off from the outside world. and you can see smoke from a rocket that landed here just about 10 minutes ago. we were told that this place was safe. but clearly, it's still under attack from gaddafi's forces. the battle is the control of this vital highway. this was colonel gaddafi's last link to the outside world. six weeks ago i drove down here and it was crammed with cars and ladened with food and supplies. look at it now. on the edge of zawiya, a group of rebels take me to see the latest prize, the city's oil refinery and drove gaddafi's troops out of here yesterday. and there is a desperate shortage of fuel. now it will be worse. in zawiya, intense street fighting continued. gaddafi knows he cannot afford to lose this vital town. the rebels know if they can hold on here, they will have gaddafi cut off and surrounded. >> let's talk to one of the founders of the association, a group that works for human rights in libya. he joins us zpr manchester now. your family is in zawiya.

tripoli. tripoli is not 90% in the hands of the rebels. i don't think there's anybody controlling tripoli at this point. one thing is for sure, gadhafi's forces are fighting back. it seems their fighting and attacking are increasing. >> in terms of gadhafi's forces, do they seem to have withdrawn to hardened specific targets they are defending or are they mounting ambushes and setting up sniper positions and doing other things to be on the offensive? >> yeah, definitely they are -- i think what they are doing is they have preplanned certain attacks that they have melted into society, not given up their weapons, something the rebels have hoped. organizing attacks, forming their own rebel army now against the rebels that invaded tripoli. >> let me ask you one last question. we showed footage of a reporter on libyan state television brandishing a gun on television saying that state tv would never be taken pip understand you witnessed her arrest? >> well, i witnessed her actually being brought -- she was brought into a compound where they brought other journalist to see her. now, this tame wo

tripoli. we got new information here. we are west of the capital tripoli. the rebels now say the important coastal road that helps supplies get directly into tripoli, they haveow cleared that road. they say they are now inside tripoli from the west. the rebels saying they have made it into the city from the west. that is new information that we have been able to obtain now from one of the rebels fighters at the front line. an important development. we do know the rebels were in the city on the eastern part and now we know the rebels from this part of the country, from the western side of tripoli have now made it into the city. they say that they are planning on a fierce fight and are ready for it. they have made it to the capital. >> the big question is it seems as though as opposed to sort of the blood bath that was the expectation when rebels hit tripoli that it hasn't reached that level of violence that they are in many cases these rebels rolling in unopposed but there still has to be some concern that it won't be so easy all of the way through. >> reporter: yeah. i think we have to be very, very careful. it is the dead of night here. we do know they were

tripoli didn't need it still that in the country somewhere. where basically all that would have been decided at the time when the rebels have attacked tripoli if gaddafi would have left tripoli before that invasion on saturday sunday then most likely he would be in the south or in areas where his supporters are still in control if he didn't leave tripoli at that day then he is somewhere inside tripoli hidden but that would be a negative thing for me for him because he would be found if he had left tripoli it's going to be very difficult for the rebels future government to find him in the desert shore and from your point of view how star would need to smoke him out would they use bunker buster bombs. well there would have to be to play it very carefully because if they are going to be responsible for his killing then they'll have to be responsible for the consequences nato it seems would like to see the rebels finding him but at the same time you know the nato would like to see the rebels acting as a force that will become a government and try him and no extrajudicial killing will take place so it's a very difficult choice most likely at least one of his son will be found bec

today we'll go to the hot spots of tripoli, in tripoli, and we'll reassure the people that things are fine in libya. >> now, saif gadhafi says his father remains in tripoli despite speculation that he may have fled the country. still, there's been no sign of the long-time libyan leader. the chairman of the national transitional council says the real moment of victory will be when gadhafi is captured. [ gunfire ] >>> meanwhile, the battles are far from over. pro gadhafi enforcers still control pockets of the capitol of tripoli and nearly towns. overhead, nato jets continue their bombing runs and there's also reports that pro gadhafi had scud missiles coming from the libyan leader's hometown. >> it seems beyond belief that the high-profile son of moammar gadhafi making an appearance outside the government-controlled hotel came after news of his aparent capture. matthew chance spoke with saif gadhafi and matthew talked about the encounter with anderson cooper a short time ago. >> he seemed very relaxed. he seemed, you know, looking quite good, actually, for a man who was supposed to have been custody for the last 48 hours. he said that was a trick. he made

tripoli brigade. people who have come to tripoli, left tripoli at the beginning of the uprising here in libya and gone to other parts of libya like the mountains and benghazi where they got military training. they've now come back to their hometown. they are one of the units which is spearheading the opposition military advance. there are other people, though, young men who have got hold of a weapon, no training at all and they've decided that it's their day to come to the streets. >> being around the capital for most parts of the day, there were some hot spots, weren't there? there were security checks. from your knowledge at the moment, what are you hearing about where the conflict is, if it is happening at all? >> reporter: sorry, it's rather hard to hear. the -- my view of the picture across the city and it's very hard, it's very dangerous. there are certain areas we're not even attempting to go to at this stage because we know that they are going to be very dangerous flash points, but most -- more of the city -- >> so that was the reporter from al jazeera inside the compound. these are the first

the nato forces whereas the people who have so far been involved in siege in tripoli and killing tripoli civilians in tripoli have been the nato side so i think the question is really who are the people to be concerned about having access to those weapons i want to imagine that that if there was any danger to be had it would be obviously in the proliferation of those weapons as in early july could off he was quoted as saying that he would be willing to strike at europe if if tripoli was was attacked so i guess that is a possibility it seems to be on the table but certainly it's unclear to me whether it's the weapons would be safer in the hands of the gadhafi forces or the terrorists i think ultimately perhaps getting rid of these types of weapons would be ultimate goal further in terms of peace and stability let's talk about gadhafi himself i mean reports that he's been hiding in a twenty kilometer network of heavily fortified tunnels. if you still there or indeed even in the country. personally i have no knowledge of it and no way of finding out i think it would be foolhardy to get mentoring guess at this p

the nato forces whereas the people who have so far been involved in siege in tripoli and killing tripoli's civilians in tripoli have been beaten into the side so i think the question is really who are the people to be concerned about having access to those weapons i would imagine that that if there was any danger to be had it would be obviously in the proliferation of those weapons as in early july it was quoted as saying that he would be willing to strike in europe if if tripoli was was attacked so i guess that is a possibility it seems to be on the table but but certainly it's unclear to me whether it's the weapons would be safer in the hands of the gadhafi forces or the terrorists i think ultimately perhaps getting rid of these types of weapons would be the ultimate goal for in terms of peace and stability of the u.s. as it's working to what he's up to one hundred billion dollars of frozen assets to the new transitional government some say that for a government barely six months all that's simply not ready to handle such cash or anything. certainly i think it would be foolish to hand that sum of money over

tripoli which we know many detainees have been massacred or killed in the last days of this regime. khamis is reported have been shot trying to leave tripoli. he was reportedly taken during hospital was -- but was dead and buried in teh area. there are many in the opposition that would love to see him dead. his wife and two other sons along with his high-profile and daughter, ayesha, has led to algeria, one country that has not recognized the transitional council. whether they will receive six haven, and is not clear. we do not know what they have requested asylum. >> no sign of gaddafi himself? >> nor his most prominent son. the robot to still be in the country, but the net is enclosing around him. it may be a big country geographically but only a small population of seven or 8 million people. it will be hard for them to hide within libya itself. >> the latest from tripoli, thank you. as tripoli's lives from gaddafi's control, some loyal stayed behind. al-megrahi is suffering from terminal cancer and is reportedly close to death. he was released by the scottish government two years ago on compassionate grounds. we have the story from tripoli. >> this is the luxury 3 story mansion in a wealthy tripoli suburb where the man convicted of killing 270 people lives. last week, the lockerbie bomber's family said he left the city, but it is clear to has not. this picture taken last night shows al-megrahi close to death wearing an oxygen mask on his face. i am pretty sure al-megrahi and his family are in the house this morning. let's see if anyone answers the door. [doorbell rings] >> achaemenids later, he says his brother is in, come only regaining consciousness for a few minutes at a time and asked for compassion. the man is struggling between life and death, he says. what is the point in sending him back to prison? out of mercy, he should be allowed to die aro

today we will go in the hot spots of tripoli -- in tripoli an and we will reassure the people that things are fine in libya. now we're going to go on a walk about in tripoli and in the places where they said there has been -- they have actually seized from us. then he said, the hell with the oscc. >> a short time later, as the dictator's son was about to leave matthew chance caught up with him one-on-one. >> we broke the backbone of the rebels. so we're winning. and now, let's go, let's go together to the hottest places in tripoli, okay? it's very hot. you want to go? go, take the car, let's go. >> i have to -- >> we have to move. >> okay, bye-bye. >> have to move. we'll check back with matthew chance shortly. he and his crew were basically captive audiences tonight. they are stuck, pinned down, not able to leave the hotel by fighting at a nearby gadhafi compound and gadhafi loyalist gunmen are patrolling the halls inside. the question is what happens next in tripoli and what's happening right now? it's hard to tell. has the opposition been lured into a trap as saif gadhafi claims? this afternoon, president obama called on the missing dictator to resurfac

the nato forces whereas the people who have so far been involved in siege in tripoli and killing tripoli civilians in tripoli have been you deny you know side so i think the question is really who are the people to be concerned about having access to those weapons but certainly there are and by the most conservative estimates friends of five hundred civilians have been killed in the fighting so far if not more and it's difficult to get accurate numbers obviously at this point but hundreds of civilians certainly have died at this point so i think it would be strange to suggest that it could offer u.s. forces would actually be interested in killing citizens in tripoli where as they did the rebels are the ones actually laying siege to the city so it's hard to tell which side would be potentially more dangerous with that with access. but let's talk about it at all if they're still and perhaps they could launch a last ditch it's not using these weapons or possibly proliferate them to terrorist factions and a spiteful act of revenge well again i think the idea of them using them inside libya is is well it's possib

tripoli. >> reporter: tripoli is theirs but as long as moammar gadhafi is on the run, rebels say, the fight is not over. he has save havens and loyal followers. despite the $1 million bounty. the head of libya's interim council warned the city of gadhafi's hometown to surrender by saturday or face attack. we will decide this matter militarily, he says. we don't wish to do so but we cannot wait longer. but where is gadhafi? maybe dead, some say, or already out of the country. some family members have escaped, his wife and three grown children fled to neighboring algeria on monday. aisha, nine months pregnant had a baby on the run. her house, looted and heavily damaged but the trappings of a luxury lifestyle plain to see. an indoor pool. massive dining room table still set for dinner. expensive clothes. this opuhence is on display publicly for the first time, fueling the anger that average libyans feel towards the gadhafi family. but most believe gadhafi will stay and fight. he gave a now infamous speech. saying he would hunt street to street and house to house for those that betrayed him. six months later the rebels are returning the favor. stephanie gosk, nbc news, tripoli. >>> we learned today, the month of august was the worst ever in terms of american losses in the war in afghanistan. there were a total of 66 u.s. service members that were killed in afghanistan this month. nearly half of them when the taliban shot down the chinook helicopter killing 30 american troops. most of them, members of the navy s.e.a.l. team. and by the way, speaking of our fallen veterans, if you haven't seen this picture, if you've ever loved a dog, this one puts a lump in your throat. this is a lab named hawkeye, at the funeral of jon tumilson, one of the navy s.e.a.l.s that was killed when the helicopter was shot down. he was walked up to the casket and laid down after heaving a big sigh and that says more than we can. >>> when "nightly news" continues on a tuesday night, important news about the number one cancer killer for women. what could be a breakthrough drug for some of them and for some men, too. >>> and later, the science that now just might justify an american a

and today, we'll go in the old hot spots of tripoli, in tripoli, and we'll reassure the people that things are fine in libya. now on a walk about in tripoli and in the places where they say there has been -- they have actually seized from us. then he said, the hell with the oicc. >> a short time later as the dictator was about to leave, our own matthew chance caught up with him for a brief one-on-one. >> we broke the backbone of the rebels. so we are -- and now, let's go. let's go together, to the hottest places in tripoli, okay? very hot. you want to go? >> no. >> well, get in the car. let's go. >> -- i have to re-evaluate. >> can i get a picture, sir? >> you'll have to. >> matthew and his crew and other reporters were basically captive audiences tonight. they are stuck, pinned down not allowed to leave the hotel and fighting at the nearby gadhafi compound and prevented from leaving but the gunmen inside the hotel patrolling the halls. he'll fill us in. the question is what happens next in tripoli and what's happening right now? has the opposition been lured into a trap as saif gadhafi claims? or will they ultimately secure the forces of

tripoli has fallen. the rebels have essentially taken over control of tripoli, but, again, moammar gadhafi is not in custody. it's unclear where he is. they believe he's somewhere in tripoliight. we also have an update on the situation with the 49er and raiders fans from last night. san francisco police say two men, one shot and the other beaten after last night's game at candlestick. both have been upgraded from critical to serious condition tonight. that's good news. san francisco police say the shooting happened as the game between the niners and the raiders was letting out. another attack happened in the men's restroom at candlestick. a 26-year-old san francisco man was unconscious with severe head trauma, but, again, their conditions have been upgraded at this point. so right now we want to check on the weather one more type. we do have a big change coming up on the weather. what's going on? >> we'll be watching the temperatures not only warming up now as we head towards tomorrow. right now can you see 70s in the bay area outtowards the tri-valley. moisture watching now, right towards southern california. two things we were talking about. temperaturesow will start to

tripoli. >> reporter: tripoli's hotel with its marble floors and chandeliers has for months been headquarters for the world's press, covering the uprising. less than two miles from moammar gadhafi's compound is where gadhafi got his message out through his spokesman and through his son saif and sometimes in person. it is where a woman claiming to have been raped by gadhafi's gunman came to tell her story. and it's been the last holdout for government forces and a virtual prison for more than 30 journalists held at gunpoint by gadhafi loyalists. among them, nbc's john rang. >> we were trapped along with the rest of the press corps and we all, all of us, faced a very, very difficult dilemma. >> reporter: and rebels poured into tripoli monday. security at the hotel vanished, power was lost, food and water ran low. cut off, the reporters didn't know who was winning the battle raging outside, neither did the gunmen holding them hostage. the tense standoff continued for days. finally this morning john ray and his team managed to escape. >> go, go, go. we basically went out of a fire door, at the backdoor across the open ground and hunkered down by a wall. >> reporter: they were finally safe. hours later, so were their colleagues, encouraged by the international red cross, the gunmen suddenly gave up and let all their prisoners free. >> finally one of the guards was disarmed, in the hotel a couple of hours ago, he sat down and cried, he wept. he fears for his life now. >> reporter: soon after the uprising began, they started giving out these visas to journalists but we weren't allowed to move freely, instead we were really a captive audience for the government's propaganda. this week that captivity got very scary for th

the bombing campaign in tripoli actually to get the population doubling i gather the population to overthrow the government so you know it's not bombing tripoli. it's only tripoli want to kill the. leader here it's very different from what the present bill russell looks much the most the world might not know it knew it deliberately targeted each electricity infrastructure and been trying to create blackouts in tripoli and districts around tripoli and have been using this for cold or terrorist attacks in this city. when i guess the violence in syria where they've been fresh attacks and anti given protesters across the country gunfire and explosions have been reported in the city is a deal al zubrin hunger more than three hundred people have been killed in the past week the bloodiest in the five month uprising against president assad rule bahrain kuwait and saudi arabia have now pulled their ambassadors from syria adding to the international condemnation of the crackdown on protesters international relations expert press amar caliban says syrian politics of riddled with untreated not everything is as a thing of. interest and sort of a state as a concept that ther

tripoli and now say they have made it all the way into the city of tripoli. we were actually turned around on the coastal road. the important supply route into tripoli from zawiya because of the fears of fighting about 25 kilometers outside of the city. about 15 miles. but by tonight, and it is now about 1:00 in the morning here, they have pushed into the city. they say that there is still fierce fighting going on and they have pushed into the city from the west. >> the question is they are in tripoli now. this still could be a terribly, terribly bloody fight, sara? >> reporter: i think that is a very definitely. because no one quite knows what exactly what kind of fire power gadhafi and his regime have in that city. everyone's speculating that he has quite a bit. he said that he has plenty of fire power. that he will use by any means necessary to keep his position, but we do not know for sure what these rebels will be facing and, of course, what civilians will be facing. and one of the things we're hearing from these rebels is has they'll have to be very cautious. they have to deal with civilians in the area trying to keep them from getting caught

number of elders within tripoli itself, a number of prominent names here and there who are trying to figure out a way to hand over or to end this in a peaceful manner. so tripoli does not get caught between an invading freedom fighter militias and gaddafi loyalist. >> thank you very much. thank you, sir, for your opinion. we have to cut it there. thank you. >> you are watching bbs, live from singapore -- bbc, after the riot, the royals, they meet some of the victims of last week's violence. >> and how the turbulence of the 2011 is shaping the shows at the festival. two senior british police officers who resigned from scotland yard have been cleared of misconduct. the allegations against the former metropolitan police commissioner and his assistant and two others have been dismissed by the u.k.'s police watchdog. we have the story. >> just a month ago, four men who were once the most senior figures in the metro police were fighting for their positions. and with them, retired officers were facing tough questioning from m.p.'s. >> did you ever receive payment from any news organization? >> good, god. absolutely not. i can't believe you suggested that. >> now the

with this is going to cause real problems here ok and now let's talk about the fall of tripoli everywhere tripoli fell almost all the western leaders i cheered that this is a job well done daffy has finally fall and you know just days later and now nato promises to stay for as long as necessary but why stay if the revolution is over. well for starters i wouldn't say this is in any way a revolution the west western government basically bombing the path. of a rag bag of rebels and filling the vacuum left by gadhafi isn't in any way what i would term a revolution but that's something that i think more fundamentally than that there's been no sense from from western leaders what they were doing in the first place and they've not any point had a coherent sense of what the mission is and there's a lot of talk a lot of grandstanding over the last few days about this a job well done there is no mission creep with xander with no mission creep going on it was only because they didn't have any idea of what they were trying to achieve in the first place and it's no surprise for now gadhafi is gone they're sti

tripoli in general is under control. they're taking care of the check points and tripoli was taken over by minimum casualties. that's really surprising everybody i guess to control tripoli in less than maybe 12 hours. >> can the interim governing authority disarm people in tripoli? do you think they can establish some sort of civilian authority? this has been a huge challenge in past revolutions. we've seen what happened in baghdad when the army was dismissed. what about the possibility of looting? >> this is the message we've been sending to the libyan people from maybe the beginning of this revolution. no retaliation. no revenge. and i'm very sure that the tnc when they get over to tripoli they will being up the government after they go through the process which they're supposed to do for the elections and then very sure to control the arms in the street. libya is a very small population, 6.5 million. libyans are not aggressive people by nature. they just want stability, they want security. that's what they want. and gadhafi offer something like this some security, some stability, some justice, and this abuse and distribution of wealth, i think -- then it is completel

tripoli. >> reporter: tripoli is slowly recovering, stores opening, traffic moving. hospitals have power again. but one notorious patient has now left the hospital, abdelbaset al megrahi, found guilty of the 1988 lockerbie bombing, allegedly dying of cancer, and released by scotland two years ago. he is now home in tripoliwithout adequate medical care, his brother says, slipping in and out of a coma. there's new evidence of gadhafi's brutality against his own people. in the central hospital today, 25-year-old amir aoon clings to life. he was one of gadhafi's prisoners, shot by his guards as rebels advanced. they tried to slit his throat, but the knife was too dull. abdel ragae was one of 200 prisoners marched out of his cell last thursday and shot by gadhafi loyalists. i think there were three of them, and they were shooting constantly. he was left for dead, he said, and at least 40 others were executed. nearby, rebels uncover a huge weapons cache. gadhafi's stockpiled weapons in hidden stashes across the city, apparently preparing for a drawn-out battle in tripoli. this was a private farmhouse, it's filled with thousands of cases of ammunition. and gadhafi himself still at large is now a figure of ridicule here. pictured as a rat and in a toilet. at a checkpoint rebels search using a photograph of how

tripoli, 9:00 a.m. in london and 4 p.m. in long tongue. i'm charles hodson in london. >> i'm andrew stevens in hong kong. you're watching continuing coverage of the battle for tripoli. >>> in libya, rebels claim to control most of the capital but gun battles continue in some parts of tripoli. an evacuation boat arrived there today for stranded migrants. the vessel was sent by the international organization for migration and can carry 300 people. to the west of tripoli, renewed fighting is reported near za ware and nato says three surfaces to surface missiles were fired on monday night near moammar gadhafi's hometown. nato is not aware of casualties or damage. the foreign minister is to fly to benghazi today to meet officials of the national transitional council. the chair of the alliance of nations is there to deal diplomatically with the libyan conflict. andrew? >> charles, meanwhile, moammar gadhafi is nowhere to be found. one of his sons, his chosen success, saif gadhafi has reappeared. he unexpectedly presented himself in front of cameras outside of tripoli hotel. libyan rebels had claimed to have him in custody. but clearly, free and able to move about, saif gadhafi was greeted by supporters and drove off in an armored land cruiser. another of colonel gadhafi's son,

tripoli has begun. we've been seeing rebel fighters moving through here to reinforce a front line they've established just about 15 miles on the outskirts of tripoli. we've seen tripoli digging in heavy weapons and rocket, but behind it is front line, inside the city of tripoli itself, thomas they were fighting pockets of resistance in several neighborhoods in tripoli including one just about 500 yards from moammar gagadhafi's presidential palace and we can confirm there was fighting in tripoli itself including right on the doorsteps of gadhafi's palace. gadhafi himself gave an audio speech in which he denied that the rebels are making this kind of progress. he said the rats have been eliminated, but from what we've been able to see the fighting is advancing and it's advancing very quickly and building strength in the center of tripoli. thomas? >> richard engle in libya for us. >>> president obama continues his vacation on martha's vineyard today and officials say he is being regularly briefed on the developments as we speak in libya. while the president remains out of washington he can't escape attack from 2012 hopefuls targeting him on the economy. joining me now i

tripoli, they have been forced out of the city center. after fierce fighting all day, the rebels claim they control 90% of tripoli. the scene in tripoli remains extremely mixed. you can see local people coming out on the streets to celebrate their new freedom. [horns honking] but we have been told that they will leave the city tonight because it is still not safe enough for them to stay. bbc news, tripoli. >> there are reports that gaddafi's son muhammed has escaped after being arrested by the rebels. we get the latest update and in the town of misrata. >> the rebels remain in control. i think this is something that the rebels always expected, this intense resistance. i do not think they expected to collect the keys of the kingdom from colonel gaddafi's men. but i think there is also a feeling that these pockets of resistance cannot last for very long. ultimately, these fighters will have problems with getting supplies and ammunition. obviously, the international community is working very carefully to see how the rebels handle this transition phase. what are they learning about how they are thinking about this? >> it is a delicate iss

story breaking news from tripoli leaving libya we can cross to modernize and roy who is in tripoli from the center for research on globalization. now you are in a media center in tripoli which is surrounded by rebel gunmen what is happening around you right now at this for a moment. we are surrounded by snipers i mean you can find space in the model. we are here nationally it was in the woods basically instructed not to come here leave. this was going to be very often seen it was specifically told him i'd stay near he never said oh it was. we are we are all out all the staff. there is. some people here some people are outside right now but we were all essentially here the chinese were there. you were going to or your french nationals myself. so. it was a couple times someone said it turned out the community was here and then the media immediately took to media immediately took them to get. started saving you know. what. i'm going to do i feel that my life. right now i'm not going to be that is that many people here and we need to be extracted and he says look international communities are doing the united nations not nato what ought to be united nations. we understand

these soldiers tell us they will be back at the various battle fronts in tripoli and around tripoli later tonight. they also say while they can smell victory, they're not prepared to declare it yet. diane. >> thank you, jeffrey. fast moving tonight. >>> and now we want to bring in dr. richard haass from the council on foreign relations. so it's going to be messy in the short term. >> inevitably. >> and does that necessarily mean that the u.s. is in increased danger at this moment? >> the real question is not short-term messiness. that's inevitable. the opposition hadadne thing in common, they wanted to get rid of gadhafi. now that they essentially accomplished that, they'll begin to fall apart. different agendas, ambitions inevitably will come into play. will it be a bunch of radical islamists? could it become a failed state where terrorists take over? or maybe it will be something like a liberal democracy if the idealists and optimists are right. all sorts of possibilities. >> oil prices, going to spike, spike wildly? >> no, openly, oil prices will probably go down a bit if things are st

have gathered together now and those tribes surrounding tripoli, the volunteers will move now to tripoli and these people will fight and tripoli will be filled with people from the tribe to confront them. and i don't think that the rebels will stand. they want to help them interfere with their actions all the time. but i think tripoli will be in two days or three days back to us. >> well, we've got a reaction to those comments from the national transitional council spokesperson, this is what he had to say. it's two things. they were sending millions to march to tripoli. now talking about thousands. that makes sense. and he is descroibing his defeat , and other parts of libya, as a tactical retreat. i call it a retreat without troops. it means more to look to it in a different way reather than political. it gave him a chance to talk from a distance and not only from geographical, but a distance from reality. the regime is about to end and his defeat is in the ground. >> nevertheless, though, he has not been captured and you still don't know where he is. >> this is not significant. we are talking about libya as one million, 850

tripoli. they believe they will be getting to tripoli in the next few days, not the next few weeks. they are very, very excited about that and adamant that they'll be able to make it to tripolibut as you heard matthew chance there in tripoli, everyone believes that there will be a massive firefight there unless something drastically changes. >>> and back here in the states, in case you haven't heard there,'s a big wedding going on on the west coast today. kim kardashian tying the north. who cuddle up with your soreness and give out polar bear hugs. technology. [ male announcer ] new bengay cold therapy. the same technology used by physical therapists. go to bengay.com for a 5-dollar coupon. ♪ we were skipping stones ♪ and letting go ♪ over the river and down the road ♪ ♪ she was waiting up around the bend ♪ ♪ smile at me and then you take my hand ♪ [ female announcer ] nature valley granola bars, where delicious ingredients like toasted oats, with rich dark chocolate, sweet golden honey, or creamy peanut butter come together in the most perfect combinations. ♪ i was thinking that i hope this never ends ♪ ♪ yeah, i was just thinking ♪ i hope this will never end discover aveen

tripoli that there was widespread expectations of a blood bath when the opposition fighters finally got to tripoli. clearly there have been casualties. certainly nothing along the scale of what we were told to expect. the speed they got to tripolias faster that be expected. the critical thing was when they took the town of zawiyah and to the south of tripoli. basically the capitol was cut off from the world. it was a matter of time before things started to fall apart. >> i want to reference the images we are seeing for viewers. if we could run it again. sara sidner and her team filmed this on their way to martyr square or green square. the streets are deserted and sara was saying some parts are earily quiet. it's empty again. >> rebels said gadhafi's forces would reenter that part of town. you talked about zawiyah, getting to the coast and the western rebels and the speed they moved off the mountains and hit the coast. not to dilute what's gone on because there's been severe fighting, many casualties as the western rebels headed for the coast. but in the big picture of it all, this is a bunch of, generally speaking, amateurs. one of the rebel commanders i was with was an x-ray technician calling in missile strikes up against wh