Libyan Rebels Sweep Into Tripoli as Qaddafi End Nears

Libyan rebels said the 42-year rule of Muammar Qaddafi “is over” after opposition fighters swept into Tripoli, capturing two of his sons and taking the battle to the doorstep of his presidential compound.

President Barack Obama said Qaddafi must recognize he “no longer controls” Libya as celebrations broke out in Tripoli’s Green Square, the location for pro-government rallies in recent months. Government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said Qaddafi was ready to negotiate with Mustafa Abdel Jalil, the head of the rebel council, and asked for an immediate cease-fire as fighting continued in parts of the capital.

“The momentum against the Qaddafi regime has reached a tipping point,” Obama said in a statement released in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. “Muammar Qaddafi and his regime need to recognize that their rule has come to an end.”

Rebel leaders offered conflicting opinions on the whereabouts of Qaddafi, who seized power in the oil-rich North African nation in a 1969 coup. The uprising, inspired by the popular revolts that ousted the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt, began in February and spread from the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi. Until this month, opposition fighters had struggled to take and keep government-held towns and cities as they tried to advance on Tripoli.
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