Libyan regime spokesman said that 1,300 people died in the last 24 hours in Tripoli, qualifying the fighting as a “real tragedy”.
“Within 24 hours, 1,300 people were killed in Tripoli”, said Moussa Ibrahim, at a press conference, adding that “his regime is still strong and that thousands of volunteers and soldiers are trained to fight”.
Violent fights were taking place on Sunday evening in Tripoli after the rebel assault on the regime, but Colonel Muammar Gadhafi has promised to resist and to stand victorious in the battle.
“We have a leader (Colonel Gadhafi) that will lead to peace (…) and you can’t deny this to Libyans”, added Ibrahim.
According to an AFP correspondent, rebels, arriving mainly by sea, were welcomed in some areas of the capital.
Muammar Gadhafi’s end is “close”, said the British government on Sunday evening, after the rebels entered Tripoli.
Previously, NATO declared that Gadhafi regime is about to “collapse”, adding that it is not taking part in any way in the Tripoli Libyan rebel offensive.
Libyan leader, Muammar Gadhafi, said Sunday evening in a new audio message broadcast on state television that he will not surrender and will come out victorious in the battle for Tripoli, after rebels launched an assault on the capital.
Gadhafi, who broadcast the second audio message within less than 24 hours, seems to still fighting, despite the fact that his troops have lost control in recent days of several cities east and west of the country, and insurgents have launched Saturday night a large operation on the capital.
“We do not surrender. We do not abandon Tripoli to the occupants and their agents. I am with you in this battle”, said Gadhafi. “We don’t surrender and, thank God, we will come out victorious”, he added.
The Libyan leader urged his supporters to “go with in ten thousand to Tajoura to eliminate the colonizers’ agents”. The rebels announced on Sunday evening that they took control of Tajoura district, located on the outskirts of the Libyan capital.
Libyan National Transition Council announced that it launched on Saturday a large-scale operation aimed at isolation of Gadhafi, and in Tripoli were heard several many and shootouts.