Libyan rebels ready Gaddafi knockout punch

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Hardened rebel fighters today streamed into Tripoli seeking to deliver a knockout punch to Muammar Gaddafi's diehards and to flush out the elusive strongman, who has a USD 1.7 million price on his head.

Rebel commanders said they were also readying a new advance against forces defending Gaddafi's hometown Sirte, 360 kilometres east of Tripoli and to break a siege of Zuwarah, a town to the west.

British Defence Minister Liam Fox said NATO was helping the rebels with intelligence and reconaissance to find Gaddafi, but the Western alliance denied his claim.

However, an AFP reporter discovered that French and British operatives are working with rebels as they press towards Sirte, amid unconfirmed reports British special forces SAS members were sent to Libya several weeks ago.

Leading the army of reinforcements into Tripoli were seasoned combatants from Misrata, whose fellow fighters spearheaded the weekend assault that saw the capital swiftly overrun and Gaddafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound captured.

Rebel commanders said that while they control most of Tripoli, hot spots remain where sniper fire, rocket explosions and heavy weaponry make life dangerous.

In an example of that, Tripoli's Corinthia Bab Africa Hotel, where numerous foreign journalists are based, came under attack on Thursday, apparently by Gaddafi snipers, but there were no reports of casualties.

"Heavy shooting is going on in central Tripoli just at the doorstep of our hotel. Street battle. Sniper fire. Hotel under gunfire attack," an AFP correspondent reported of the firefight, which last about 40 minutes.

The Corinthia is located a few hundred metres (yards) from the centre of Tripoli's Old City, near the sea.

The rebels are also hell-bent on finding Gaddafi, so they can proclaim final victory in an uprising that began six months ago and was all but crushed by Gaddafi's forces before NATO warplanes gave crucial air support to the rebels.

Rebel leaders say they want to put Gaddafi on trial even though he also faces charges of crimes against humanity along with his son Seif al-Islam and spymaster Abdullah al-Senussi at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Yesterday, the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) offered a USD 1.7 million reward for the capture of Gaddafi, dead or alive, and amnesty to any members of his inner circle who kill or capture him.

The 69-year-old Gaddafi has not been seen in public for weeks. But despite losing control of the oil-rich North African country he ruled with an iron first for 42 years, he is still managing to broadcast messages urging Libyans to drive out the 'rats' - as he disparagingly calls the rebels.