The battle comes to Tripoli

Rebel fighters and a television cameraman take shelter as an intense gun battle erupted outside the Corinthia hotel, where many foreign journalists are staying, in Tripoli, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2011. Speaking to a local television channel Wednesday, apparently by phone, Muammar Qaddafi vowed from hiding to fight on "until victory or martyrdom."

Smokes billows from an unknown source as Libyan rebels move into the Bab al-Aziziya compound in Tripoli on August 25, 2011.

A rebel fighter opens fire as an intense gun battle erupted outside the Corinthia hotel, where many foreign journalists are staying, in Tripoli, Libya, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2011.

A Libyan rebel stands next to the bodies of loyalist fighters at the south entrance of the Bab al-Aziziya compound in Tripoli on August 25, 2011.

The bodies of dead Qaddafi fighters lie on the ground outside the south entrance of the Bab al-Aziziya compound in Tripoli, August 25, 2011.

A Libyan rebel fighter stands in a destroyed building at Muammar Qaddafi's compound in Tripoli, Libya, early Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011. Hundreds of Libyan rebels stormed the compound Tuesday, charging wildly through the symbolic heart of the crumbling regime as they killed loyalist troops, looted armories and knocked the head off a statue of the besieged dictator.

A rebel fighter enters a bunker in Qaddafi's compound in Bab Al-Aziziya in Tripoli, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2011.

Libyan rebels seize boxes pf ammunition hidden underground in the al-Maser forest south of the center of Tripoli, August 25, 2011.

Libyan rebels secure a runway at the airport in Tripoli on August 24, 2011. Rebels said the complex was still under sporadic attack by regime loyalists, with snipers along the road from the capital.

Rebels search a luxury hotel in Tripoli — Getty

Libyan rebels conduct a search in a luxury hotel in Tripoli while looking for Al-Saadi Qaddafi, a son of Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, Aug. 24, 2011.

A rebel fighter is seen in downtown Tripoli, Libya, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011.

Rebel fighters seen inside the main Moammar Gadhafi compound in Bab al-Aziziya in Tripoli, Libya, Aug. 24, 2011. — AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev

Rebel fighters are seen inside the main Qaddafi compound in Bab al-Aziziya in Tripoli, Libya, Aug. 24, 2011.

Rebel fighters trample on a head of a Muammar Qaddafi statue inside the main compound in Bab al-Aziziya in Tripoli, Libya, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011. Libya's rebel leadership has offered a $2 million bounty on Qaddafi's head, but the autocrat has refused to surrender as his 42-year regime crumbles, fleeing to an unknown destination.

An explosion is seen near Muammar Qaddafi's main compound in the Bab al-Aziziya district in Tripoli, Libya, Aug. 23, 2011. Fresh fighting erupted in Tripoli hours after Qaddafi's son turned up free to thwart Libyan rebel claims that he had been captured, — AP Photo

An explosion is seen near Muammar Qaddafi's main compound in the Bab al-Aziziya district in Tripoli, Libya, Aug. 23, 2011. Thick clouds of gray and white smoke filled the sky Tuesday as heavy gunfire and explosions shook several districts of the city of 2 million, with some of the heaviest fighting around Qaddafi's main compound and military barracks. The compound, which has been heavily damaged by NATO airstrikes, has emerged as one of the centers of government resistance since tanks rolled out and began firing at rebels trying to get in.

Smoke rises over buildings in the main compound of Muammar Qaddafi in the Bab Al-Aziziya district in Tripoli, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011.

Rebel fighters observe fighting near Muammar Qaddafi's main compound in the Bab al-Aziziya district of Tripoli, Libya, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011.

Rebel fighters observe the fighting near Muammar Qaddafi's compound in Bab Al-Aziziya district in Tripoli, Libya, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011.

A rebel fighter runs across the street near Muammar Qaddafi's main compound in the Bab al-Aziziya district in Tripoli, Libya, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011. Fresh fighting erupted in Tripoli on Tuesday hours after Muammar Qaddafi's son turned up free to thwart Libyan rebel claims he had been captured, a move that seems to have energized forces still loyal to the embattled regime.

Smoke billows from a neighborhood in the Libyan capital Tripoli, August 22, 2011.

A rebel fighter holds the identification card of a pro-Qaddafi soldier after they were captured in Tripoli, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011. Rebels say they control most of Tripoli, but they faced pockets of fierce resistance from regime loyalists firing mortars and anti-aircraft guns.

A rebel fighter stands on a monument inside the main compound of Muammar Qaddafi in Bab Al-Aziziya in Tripoli, Libya, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011. Libyan rebels stormed Qaddafi's main military compound after fierce fighting with forces loyal to his regime.

Rebel cars seen inside the main compound in Bab Al-Aziziya in Tripoli, Libya, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011.

Boys in Benghazi - one of whom holds a pre-Qaddafi LIbyan flag - celebrate the attack on the Libyan leader's main military compound in Tripoli, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011.

Rebel fighters react as they advance to the front line during fighting in Tripoli, Libya, Aug. 23, 2011.

Libyan women cheer in Tripoli, on August 23, 2011. Libyan rebels declared the Qaddafi era over after storming Tripoli, but one of the veteran strongman's sons insisted the battle was far from done as he defiantly refuted reports of his arrest.

A rebel fighter is pictured in Tripoli, August 23, 2011.

saif al-islam qaddafi — AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills

Muammar Qaddafi's son, Seif al-Islam, waves to troops loyal to his father in Tripoli, Libya Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011. Al-Islam, who was earlier reported arrested by Libya's rebels, appeared at the hotel and spoke to reporters early Tuesday. "I want to deny all the rumors," he said. NATO and the West, he said, were using their "technological tricks," including jamming broadcasts from state television, to confuse the Libyan people and spread chaos and fear.

He was more than blunt about any chance he would be captured and brought to Western justice. As he said, "Screw the Criminal Court."

Volunteers loyal to Libya's Muammar Qaddafi pause after Qaddafi's son Saif al-Islam spoke to them in Tripoli, Libya, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011. Saif al-Islam, who was earlier reported arrested by Libya's rebels, turned up early Tuesday morning at the hotel where foreign journalists stay in Tripoli, then took reporters in his convoy on a drive through the city.

Young boys walk down a dark street in Tripoli, late at night on August 22, 2011.

People hold up the rebel flag as they gather in Tajura, a suburb of Tripoli, August 22, 2011.

Rebel fighters gesture in the Gorgi district of Tripoli, Libya, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011. Fresh fighting erupted in Tripoli on Tuesday hours after Muammar Qaddafi's son turned up free to thwart Libyan rebel claims he had been captured, a move that seems to have energized forces still loyal to the embattled regime.

Rebels on the streets of Tripoli — Getty

Rebel fighters are seen on the streets of the Libyan capital Tripoli, Aug. 22, 2011.

Local residents greet advancing rebel fighters on the outskirts of Tripoli, Libya, Aug. 22, 2011.

A rebel fighter watches people along a street in the Libyan capital Tripoli, August 22, 2011, as heavy fighting raged near the compound of embattled Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi.

Libyan rebel fighters from Tripoli deface a portrait of dictator Muammar Qaddafi, in Tripoli, Monday, Aug. 22, 2011. Scattered battles erupted in the capital as the mercurial leader's whereabouts remained unknown.

A Libyan rebel burns a poster of Moamer Kadhafi — PATRICK BAZ/AFP/Getty Images

A Libyan rebel burns a poster of Muammar Qaddafi at the Bab al-Aziziya compound in Tripoli on August 24, 2011.

A rebel sprays graffiti depicting Col. Muammar Qaddafi and a noose on a wall in Gadayem, west of the capital Tripoli, August 21, 2011. The rebels' top diplomat in London, Mahmud Nacua, said opposition forces controlled 95 percent of Tripoli Monday. He vowed "the fighters will turn over every stone to find" Qaddafi and make sure he faces justice.

Libyan rebels fire towards forces loyal to Muammar Qaddafi during a fierce firefight in downtown Tripoli, Monday, Aug. 22, 2011.

Libyan rebels are seen engaged in fighting Qaddafi forces in downtown Tripoli, Libya, Monday, Aug. 22, 2011.

A dead fighter is covered with a blanket as he lies on a street in the Libyan capital Tripoli, August 22, 2011, as heavy fighting raged near the Tripoli compound of embattled Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi.

Smoke billows from a burning car as a Libyan rebel stands guard outside the women's military academy in Tripoli, August 22, 2011.

A Libyan rebel takes position on a main coastal road in Tripoli on August 22, 2011.

Libyan youths wave the rebellion's flag as they celebrate through the streets of a suburb of Tripoli on August 22, 2011.

A rebel shoulders an RPG in Gadayem, west of Tripoli, August 21, 2011. Explosions and gunfire rocked Tripoli as a months-long uprising pushed through the gates of the Libyan capital, with rebels insisting they are close to toppling Muammar Qaddafi.

A Libyan rebel runs for cover during fighting against Qaddafi regime forces near the Gadayem forest, west of Tripoli, August 21, 2011.

Libyan rebels take position during fighting against Qaddafi regime forces at the Gadayem forest, west of Tripoli, August 21, 2011.

Libyan rebels take position during fighting against regime forces near the Gadayem forest, west of Tripoli, August 21, 2011.

Libyan rebel fighters take cover during the battle for the control of Zawiya against regime forces on August 19, 2011. In their advance to the capital, Libyan rebels claimed to have taken two more key objectives, including the refinery town of Zawiya.

Libyan rebels run for cover during fighting against regime forces near the Gadayem forest, west of Tripoli, on August 21, 2011.

A prisoner gestures after being freed by rebel forces from a jail in the town of Maya, 25 kilometers west of Tripoli, August 21, 2011.

A Libyan rebel celebrates inside the captured Libya military base 16 kilometers west of the center of Tripoli, August 21, 2011. The rebels said victory in Tripoli was imminent and urged NATO to join the final battle with Apache assault helicopters.

People celebrate the recent news of uprising in Tripoli against Muammar Qaddafi's regime, at the rebel-held town of Benghazi, Libya, early Sunday, Aug. 21, 2011. Libyan rebels said they launched their first attack on Tripoli in coordination with NATO late Saturday, and Associated Press reporters heard unusually heavy gunfire and explosions in the capital. The fighting erupted just hours after opposition fighters captured the key city of Zawiya nearby.

A Libyan rebel walks past a smoldering vehicle belonging to fighters loyal to leader Muammar Qaddafi, at the "Kilometre 27" military base, west of Tripoli, August 21, 2011. FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)

Libyan rebels cover the body of a killed loyalist soldier after capturing a military base outside Tripoli, August 21, 2011.

A man takes a photo of his car after it was damaged by a NATO airstrike on a building in Tripoli, Libya, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2011. According to people on the scene, the building struck was a private civil engineering office.

This photo taken on a government-organized tour shows a destroyed building after it was hit during a NATO airstrike in Tripoli, Libya, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2011.

A wounded rebel fighter flashes a V-sign in the Abu-Rafat hospital on the outskirts of Zawiya, Libya, Sunday, Aug. 21, 2011.

Medics treat a pro-Qaddafi fighter in the Abu-Rafat hospital on the outskirts of Zawiya, Libya, Sunday, Aug. 21, 2011.

Libyan rebel fighters fire at regime forces during the battle for the control of Zawiya after setting tires on fire to make smoke and take cover from snipers on August 19, 2011.

Rebel fighters ride along towards Jdaim, west of Tripoli, August 21, 2011.

A Libyan woman raises a rifle as tens of thousands of Libyans celebrate what the rebels claim to be the first uprising in Tripoli against the Qaddafi regime, August 21, 2011 at Freedom Square in Benghazi.

Rebels in Tajura, a suburb of Tripoli, celebrate taking control of the entire area in the early morning hours of Monday, August 22, 2011. Libyan rebels surged into Tripoli Sunday in a final drive to oust Muammar Qaddafi, seizing swathes of the capital (including the symbolic Green Square) and arresting the strongman's son, Saif al-Islam.

Journalist work in the hallway of the Rixos hotel as gunfire continues around the hotel in Tripoli, Libya, Sunday, Aug. 21, 2011.

An abandoned set of Libyan State television is seen after rebels entered the capital city of Tripoli, Libya, Sunday, Aug. 21, 2011.