Rebels seize Gaddafi compound in Libya

Rebels have overrun the fortified compound of longtime Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in Bab al-Azizya in Tripoli following intense fighting with pro-Gaddafi forces, the Al Jazeera TV network reported. Rebels announced that they gained control of much of the capital on Tuesday, but Gaddafi's whereabouts are still unknown. An uprising which began in Libya in mid-February against Gaddafi's forty-year rule has already claimed thousands of lives. An international military operation "to protect civilians" in Libya began on March 19 following a UN resolution and has been extended until late September.