After a fast-paced and lightning-quick assault on cities near Tripoli, the Libyan rebels’ latest offensive culminated in an offensive on Tripoli, Colonel Gaddafi’s seat of power. The rebels, led by the National Transitional Council (NTC) coordinated with “sleeper cells” within Tripoli to begin an uprising of the people within the city itself. Fighters coming from the mountains to the west of Tripoli quickly broke through the vaunted defensive line surrounding the city and captured vast stores of ammunition and supplies as the decisive endgame of the six month old conflict began.

At the time of press, U.S. government officials and rebel leaders claimed to have taken nearly 90% of Tripoli while instituting a system of checkpoints to keep Gaddafi fighters outside of liberated areas. While the rebels have made huge gains, many Gaddafi fighters remain in the city and snipers have parked themselves at the tops of many of Tripoli’s buildings, firing indiscriminately at both civilians and military personnel alike. At the moment, the Rixos Hotel, where foreign journalists stayed during the conflict and Gaddafi’s personal compound are the only pieces of land the regime still controlled, but they are fast losing ground to a planned rebel assault.

Furthermore, three of Gaddafi’s sons are said to be arrested by rebel “special forces,” a fact confirmed by the International Criminal Court, which hopes to prosecute both Gaddafi’s sons and Gaddafi himself for crimes against humanity and the Libyan people. Gaddafi himself has not yet been captured by rebel forces and many Libyans say that final victory will only come when the Colonel is brought to justice. The question now for many is not if Gaddafi’s regime will fall, but if the rebels are ready to lead the Libyan people to a new and democratic future.