As rebels close in Gaddafi vows ‘I’ll fight on’

By The Newsroom
Published 23rd Aug 2011, 16:05 BST
Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi issued a defiant message vowing he would stay in Tripoli “until the end” as the fight for the capital intensified last night.

The Libyan leader said he was afraid that “Tripoli would burn” and called on his supporters around the country to help protect the capital from a rebel offensive.

His warning came as the rebel fighters captured the base of the elite Khamis Brigade, 16 miles west of the capital.

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It is said to be one of the best-trained and equipped units in the Libyan military and is commanded by Col Gaddafi’s 27-year-old son Khamis.

After a brief gun battle, Col Gaddafi’s forces fled what was once a major symbol of the regime’s power.

According to an official in Col Gaddafi’s government, the fighting in Tripoli over the weekend killed as many