Heavy Fighting Near Gaddafi Compound

Let's just say that Gaddafi has fled, is dead, or is scared out of his mind at the moment:

Heavy clashes broke out near Muammar al-Qaddafi's compound in Tripoli Monday as rebels fought to overtake the remaining areas controlled by forces loyal to the Libyan leader.

Rebel spokesman Mohammed Abdel-Rahman says that tanks emerged from the complex, known as Bab al-Aziziya, early Monday and began firing.

An Associated Press reporter at the nearby Rixos Hotel where foreign journalists are staying could hear gunfire and loud explosions that have been going on for more than 30 minutes.

No further details were immediately available on the fighting.

The rebels raced into Tripoli Sunday and met little resistance as Qaddafi's defenders melted away and his 42-year rule rapidly crumbled. The euphoric fighters celebrated with residents of the capital in Green Square, the symbolic heart of the regime.

By Monday morning, a rebel spokesman told Al Jazeera that Qaddafi loyalists only controlled between 15 and 20 percent of the city, Reuters reported.

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