Libyan rebels were greeted with cheers from local residents as they entered the centre of capital city Tripoli on Sunday 21 August.

As crowds celebrated the arrival of a rebel convoy in Green Square in central Tripoli, fighting in the Libyan capital continued, with Muammar Qaddafi’s compound and other strategic sites still in government hands.

The Libyan leader has vowed to fight on. In an audio message broadcast on Sunday, he urged residents to “save Tripoli” from the rebels.

National Transitional Council (NTC) chairman Mustafa Mohammed Abdul Jalil has meanwhile reiterated that the rebels will grant Qaddafi a safe passage out of the country should he surrender his authority.

Journalists staying in the Rixos hotel in Tripoli have reported heavy gunfire nearby. The rebels are believed to be keen on taking the site, used by Libyan Information Minister Moussa Ibrahim to broadcast government statements.

After the rebels successfully breached the city’s defences, the NTC reported the capture of one of Qaddafi’s sons, Saif al-Islam. Saif has been indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the torture and killing of civilians.

The rebels are also closing in on his brother, Muhammad, who was speaking on the phone to TV station Al-Jazeera when gunfire was heard in the background and the line was interrupted.