General

Gadhafi defiant, elusive as Tripoli fighting continues

Foreign journalists held in hotel freed by Gadhafi forces

Moammar Gadhafi released a defiant audio message through Libyan media still loyal to his regime on Wednesday, pledging to fight “until victory or death.” Gadhafi remains elusive even after rebels captured his fortified compound of Bab al-Aziziya in Tripoli on Tuesday. While the rebel forces control much of the capital, pockets of resistance remain as Gadhafi loyalists continue to fight. CNN reported Wednesday that there was heavy gunfire near Tripoli’s Rixos hotel, where pro-Gadhafi gunmen had been holding more than three-dozen foreign journalists since the weekend. CNN correspondent Matthew Chance, who was among them, said the journalists were frightened and unsure whether they would be killed or used as human shields. He said they were released when the young gunmen holding them hostage decided to let them go. As fighting continues in Libya, several towns remain loyal to Gadhafi. A spokesman for his forces told Libyan state television, which has been taken over by the rebels, that pro-Gadhafi forces will re-take Tripoli.

Washington Post

 

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