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Rebels Celebrate Tripoli Gains; Huge Celebrations in Eastern Libya; Gadhafi Releases Tape; Fierce Fighting Near Tripoli Airport; The World View of Libyan Crisis; Rebels: May Have Sighted Gadhafi; Engineers To Check Washington Monument; Rare Earthquake Rattles East Coast; Hurricane Irene Now Category 3
Aired August 24, 2011 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, let's check the latest now from Libya. Here's what we know, things have calmed down a little at the Gadhafi compound after getting a little dicey.
Crew reported incoming sniper fire just a little while ago. Mortar fire also in the area. Meantime, more fierce fighting just south of the capital near the airport. That's where our Arwa Damon is. Rebels say that resistance has been so fierce that they wonder if Gadhafi might actually be nearby.
We're covering every angle of the story with multiple correspondents on the ground, Sara Sidner is in Tripoli's central square, Arwa Damon at the international airport, and Barbara Starr has the Pentagon perspective.
Meanwhile, our Zain Verjee is tracking the international reaction. She's going to join us live out of London. But let's get straight to Sara Sidner once again. She's right there in the heart of Tripoli.
Sara, as you mentioned earlier, what we have known as Green Square has now been renamed by the locals as Martyr Square.
SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and there's lots of celebratory gunfire continuing to go on. We even saw one of the gunners point to the gun towards city and it actually hit one of these buildings here.
So I think that is becoming a bit of a problem, and you have to wonder, if there's a big firefight, which we know there is and they know there is, near the airport and there are still Gadhafi forces east of the compound that are shooting into the compound, why isn't everyone trying to go and take care of that fight?
I think what you're seeing here is the disorganization that's started, because when they went through and broke through Bab Al- Aziya, to everyone here that felt like this was the end of the Gadhafi regime.
And people for 40-something years, 42 years, have been waiting for that moment. They now feel that the regime has completely fallen, and yet you have these massive firefights going on. And you would imagine if they'd need all gun power and all the strategy that they could possibly use.
And you're seeing all over the city, people from Misrata. You have groups from Benghazi. You have groups from Vintan, in the mountains, all congregating here. And the organization doesn't seem to be as good even as it was yesterday knowing that these firefights are still going on in a couple of neighborhoods, Kyra --
PHILLIPS: Sara, when I talked to you last hour, you know, you made the point that even though this is celebratory gunfire, it's still dangerous out there, even when it's celebratory gunfire. And even with that into account, you say you're actually seeing families coming out with their kids.
We've been wondering how the Libyan people have been responding, and we haven't seen a lot from that perspective, but you are starting to see that today.
SIDNER: Kyra, I've just lost you. I can no longer hear you, and I'm not sure if you can hear me, but what I can tell you about these families that are coming out here to the square is that they are just extremely relieved.
They are coming out here to show their support for the rebels. They say they have no more fear. They are tired of being afraid. So that's what you're seeing. I think that's why families are bringing their children out.
They want them to see history being made. They want to show them that it's OK to walk around. Yet not a lot of people not cognizant of the fact that these bullets have to come down somewhere, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: OK, we'll try to re-connect our audio with Sara Sidner live out of Tripoli for us this morning. Sara, thank you. And even as the battle still in rage in Tripoli, folks in eastern Libya are still in full celebration mode.
Fred Pleitgen reports now from Benghazi, the opposition's home base.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The people here in the de facto rebel capital of Libya, Benghazi are partying harder than they have before, this is the first time they truly believe Moammar Gadhafi will not return here to this country -- thank you very much.
They say it's the first time they truly believe Moammar Gadhafi will not come back. Keep in mind. This is the town where the uprising started. It's a town that was almost taken by Gadhafi troops during this uprising.
And it's now one, of course, they believe they've finally won this battle. However, people here tell us everyone though they are very happy with what's going on, they still believe there's a lot of work to become.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Today's a big party, because it's Gadhafi's last day. Thank God it's Gadhafi's last day. We're thankful for our army, martyrs, and NATO for their help. Today Libya is free.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The education before was horrible. Everyone went abroad to study to get a better education. God willing, the future will be better for my son. After six years, hopefully everything will be better and we'll have a good education system.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Very good future because after Gadhafi's out, Libya's going to be much better. More people are going to learn all the languages.
PLEITGEN: Of course, even though they have these celebrations going on right now, people say they realize there's going to be a rocky road ahead. A lot of national unity that has to be created and also a lot of wounds that need to heal. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Benghazi, Libya.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: There's now fierce speculation about where Gadhafi could be. We did hear an audio recording last night purported to be from him, but it gave no indication of his whereabouts.
CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joining me now. So Barbara what exactly does the Pentagon know about where he might be and how are they tracking these qualms?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, the word they are getting is I think the same that everyone is getting, which is, they don't know where Gadhafi is. Certainly as these communications alleged to be from him come up, they look to try and verify it.
And NATO, of course, is really taking the lead on the part of the coalition in trying to get this situation in Libya under control. What we do know now about NATO operations is they are getting help from Special Forces from four key countries, Kyra, Britain, France, Jordan, and Qatar have special forces troops on the ground.
They've been moving with the rebel forces. They are helping them with communications, organization tactics, I think what you have seen over the last 48 hours in terms of the rebel advance on Tripoli, is those Special Forces very quietly working to help the rebels.
And they are also doing some targeting on the ground so NATO war planes can continue to conduct those precision strikes, especially on Gadhafi's compound and out near the airport without putting civilians at risk. So you're seeing a lot going on under the surface, but in terms of where Gadhafi is, nobody seems to know, Kyra --
PHILLIPS: All right, then what are the military leaders thoughts about who would take over and where do we go from here?
STARR: Well, you know, really, I think it's fair to say NATO and the United States and the allies have cast their lot with the Transitional National Council and the people that represent them.
They are going to want to see that group very quickly establish control. That means a government, economic, political, social security control, all of that, but even as we say that, it's that security piece that we all know from Afghanistan and Iraq that is central.
They have to establish security. They have to demonstrate that they have control over these fighters, and that they have control over weapons. Libya's one of the most heavily-armed countries in the world, let alone the mustard gas supplies they still have.
Hundreds of thousands of missiles, rockets, artillery, scud missiles, all of that has to come under control and real sort of normal society, if you will, be quickly re-established.
Everyone saw how tough that was in Iraq, and I think people are watching Libya very closely to see if they have a better chance with this transitional council of making that quickly happen. Kyra --
PHILLIPS: We'll all be paying attention for sure, Barbara, thanks. CNN's Zain Verjee live in London now with reaction from around the world to the latest events in Libya. You've been reading all the headlines. Zain --
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT, CNNI: I have, Kyra. Let's take a look at what they are saying. This is "The Guardian's" headline. It says, "Intervention after Libya." It goes on to say this, it will be weeks before we have a sense of where Libya is heading, months before there's any certainty about its future and years before we can properly assess the impact of the decision to use force to aide the rebels.
Take a look at "The National," Kyra. This is in the United Arab Emirates. Its headline, "West may not have the will or finances to rebuild Libya." It says the NTC, the National Transitional Council has yet to prove itself a viable steward of an inevitably messy transition.
And the problem for western powers whose interventions enable the rebels march on Tripoli is that it won't be easy to walk away from its consequences.
Finally "The Daily Telegraph," Kyra, says, "We have proved in Libya that intervention can still work." It says constrained intervention with the global legitimacy the U.N. backing confers can be better than no intervention at all and can likely do more lasting good than going it alone. Kyra --
PHILLIPS: Zain Verjee monitoring the international reaction to Libya for us. Zain, thanks.
Coming up, she has more wins than any college basketball coach in history, man or woman, and Pat Summet is facing a new challenge, dementia. Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us live at the bottom of the hour.
Plus, yesterday's earthquake that shook much of the east coast caught on tape. We'll have more just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: One of the biggest questions right now as we've been following all this coverage out of Tripoli is where is Moammar Gadhafi, the closest thing that we've been able to acquire are these purported audiotapes that he has released.
Obviously, we can't prove if they are authentic or not, but it has been something to try and give us an inkling into where he might be, if he's still alive. And the other part is, the rebels traveling with -- Arwa Damon, rather, traveling with a sect or section of rebels not far from Tripoli's airport.
Telling her they believe they spotted a convoy they believe Moammar Gadhafi might have been a part of, possibly planning an exit from the airport here in Tripoli. Apparently, we have reconnected with Arwa. She's able to call in.
Arwa, can you hear me OK, and can you just bring us up to date about what the rebels are telling you about this convoy, believing that Moammar Gadhafi was in this convoy, and if, indeed, there are aircraft that you spotted there at the airport?
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Hi, Kyra. Yes, we're actually located at the international airport itself, and the commanders say that they spotted this convoy yesterday at around sunset, just as rebel fighters would have been taking a bit of a break to break their fast.
It is still the holy month of Ramadan that's when they spotted this convoy that the commanders say contained an armored Mercedes. They believe Gadhafi could have been traveling in. He believes the intensity of the fighting around this airport, at times attacks coming from both sides launched simultaneously, complex attacks, is directly linked to Gadhafi loyalists either trying to clear a route for Gadhafi to travel from Tripoli to other parts of the country or that he is already in the farmlands located to the east of the airport.
There are also two military bases located to the east as well, but the commander was saying that the battle for this airport and around it -- and the defense of any other compound, even those inside Tripoli, which is why as a military man.
He says he believes that is directly linked to Gadhafi -- top aide to Gadhafi. He had just switched sides and he said he believes Gadhafi will still be in the Tripoli vicinity and he would never leave Libya, Kyra --
PHILLIPS: Have you - I mean, you're right there at the airport. I was told you are outside of the airport, but are you actually right there inside, close to the runway? If so, are there aircraft there at the airport, Arwa --
DAMON: Yes, Kyra, we are inside the airport complex. We are not too far away from the runways. We have been seeing the aircrafts. There are a number of aircrafts, some belonging to the Libyan government, others grounded aircraft to a number of other nations.
The runway, as of now, does not appear to have been damaged in any way, shape, or form, although the rebels say that the Gadhafi forces are trying to target the runway, trying to target those aircrafts to cause as much damage as they possibly can.
We were asking the rebel commander if he believes the Gadhafi forces want to take back the airport to try to somehow fly Gadhafi out of the country. He said if that were, in fact, the case, it would be happening and I quote "over their dead bodies." Kyra --
PHILLIPS: So Arwa, that leads me to my next question, rebels telling you they believe Gadhafi might be hiding out in a farm not far from the airport, what more can you tell us about that?
DAMON: Well, the Gadhafi family does own a farm that is not too far away from here, a complex, fairly elaborate, but it's not heavily protected. So the commanders don't necessarily believe he'd be at that location, plus, it is fairly well known.
But they do believe that he could be traveling through these areas in the east. This is still an area that is not yet under rebel control. They are also speculating he could be trying to go to the south of the country or perhaps trying to loop his way around to Sirt.
Because that is an area where he still has a very high number of supporters, it is an area where there are many Gadhafi loyalists who can try to protect him at this stage.
PHILLIPS: All right, our Arwa Damon right there at Tripoli's international airport calling into us. Arwa, thanks so much, keep us updated, please.
Back here in the states, we're talking about the strongest ramble that rattled the region in decades. Yesterday's 5.8-magnitude earthquake centered in Virginia was felt by millions of people from northern New England all the way to here in Georgia.
No extensive damage reports as of now, but the Washington monument is one of several structures that's showing some cracks. CNN's Brian Todd is live near the epicenter, Mineral, Virginia.
You and I were saying last hour, Brian, I don't think we've ever had a chance to say that of all the earthquakes that we've covered, an epicenter in Mineral, Virginia. BRIANN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, Kyra, and we may not be able to say that for the rest of our lives. This is an event that just doesn't happen in this part of the country. There are some concerns here, though, about possible aftershocks. There have been four of them since yesterday's earthquake.
Officials here at the North Anna Power Plant monitoring that very closely while they still assess some minor damage. They did make progress overnight in restoring power to this facility. That means that the cooling systems for the reactor and spent fuel rods can work without a hitch now.
But the two main reactors here are still shut down while they run through the security checks at least for another day. Just one part of how an entire region is recovering from this earthquake.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: May be an aftershock, but you're allowed to go back in the building at this time.
TODD (voice-over): To millions of people on the east coast, this was the big one.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You believe you've just witnessed an earthquake in Washington, D.C.
TODD: It's the strongest quake to hit the Virginia area since 1897, a 5.8, rattling nerves and shaking buildings in the nation's capital.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really thought it was some kind of bomb because I never felt nothing like that before in Washington.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was on the bus and the bus did a shimmy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know what was happening. I thought the building was about to collapse.
TODD: The quake was centered near Mineral, Virginia, about 40 miles from Richmond and 83 miles from D.C., but could be felt all the way in Martha's Vineyard where the president is on vacation.
Shaking was felt in more than a dozen states in all even into Canada. NBC's cameras focused on the White House caught the shaking as it happened. Some of the masonry of the National Cathedral fell off.
And the National Park Service says engineers found a crack near the top of the Washington monument. It will be closed indefinitely to keep visitors safe. Many government buildings, including the Pentagon, were evacuated.
But no major damage was reported. Further north in New York City, people ran from skyscrapers, down flights of stairs as they sway. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The building shook back and forth. It actually rocked.
TODD: Near the epicenter of the quake, the North Anna Nuclear Power Station, the earthquake triggering an automatic shutdown there. Diesel generators kicked in to keep the reactor cores cool, but I spoke to a plant executive who wanted to make sure we knew everything was under control.
(on camera): What do you want to say to the public as far as right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, the power plant is safe, the operator responded well, both units are shut down, maintaining a safe shut down condition. There was no release of radio activity.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: And we're told those two reactors will be shut down for at least another day while they run through the security checks, but the 450,000 customers of this plant were not affected. They are getting their power from elsewhere on the power grid as they have since the earthquake yesterday, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: OK, Brian, thanks, if an earthquake isn't enough, we're tracking Hurricane Irene. Now considered a major storm, it reaches Category three status. Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is monitoring the latest track. She's going to joins us next.
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PHILLIPS: Well, Category 3 and gaining more steam, Hurricane Irene now barrelling through the southern Bahamas Island chain. Here's new video we got from affiliate WSVN out of Miami. North of the storm right now, though, they are getting ready ahead of it. There are Americans also living along the east coast. They are running out to the hardware stores trying to stack up on supplies.
And then in Washington, D.C., there's a concern of Irene's possible arrival, and it could impact the scheduled dedication of the Martin Luther King Memorial that's supposed to happen Sunday morning.
We hope to be bringing you live coverage from that this weekend. So meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is tracking it all for us, hoping that you can update us. You were saying there are some areas are getting a relief, others there should be a little more concern?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, you know, we've been seeing the easterly shift over the last couple of days, and that trend continues right now, looks a little better for Florida and a lot worse, actually, for the north eastern corner.
We'll start you out with the latest statistics on Irene. It's a Category 3 storm, that makes it a major hurricane and that could bring a lot of devastation. We expect it through the Bahamas. It's just barrelling through the south eastern chain of the islands right now.
It's going to take all the way through the day tomorrow before we get beyond this. Let's look at the big picture in terms of the forecast track and it's still really anybody's ball game from the Carolinas to the northeast coast, so everyone needs to be on high alert and be prepared for this.
Even if we get lucky as those models - some of them have been trending offshore, we still expect a big impact with heavy rains, strong, gusty winds, and power outages, so keep that in mind. Now Kyra, you said last hour, you were asking me how long it has been since we've seen anything hit the northeast.
Well, for example, New York, it's been 25 years for you when Hurricane Gloria hit. This shows you on average how often we see hurricanes making landfall. You can see anywhere between 13 and 50 years across parts of the northeast.
PHILLIPS: All right, Jacqui, thanks.
Did President Obama react quickly enough to the crisis in Libya? Our political panel will debate that coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All right, checking top stories now. Fighting still raging on in parts of Tripoli between Libyan rebels and Moammar Gadhafi loyalists. As for Gadhafi, his whereabouts are still unknown.
Lawyers for Dominique Strauss-Kahn say they are not worried about possible civil suit from his accuser. Prosecutors have dropped sexual assault charges against the former IMF head.
And most successful basketball coach ever has early onset of dementia. The Tennessee coach, Pat Summit, says she's going to keep coaching, though. Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to join us later in the hour to talk about her diagnosis.
All right, "Political Buzz," your rapid fire look at the hottest political topics of the day, three questions, 30 seconds on the clock. And playing today, Democratic strategist Maria Cardona, founder of Citizen Jane Politics, Patricia Murphy, and CNN contributor and talk show radio host, Dana Loesch.
OK, ladies, first question. President Obama has been criticized for not responding to Libya quickly enough. How do you think this battle will impact foreign policy, Maria?
MARIA CARDONA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, if you remember, Kyra, he was also criticized for having gotten involved at all. So I think once again, what this president did was get involved in the most thoughtful way by ensuring that we had strong alliances, by ensuring that we had the cooperation of even the Arab states that were in the region. And most importantly of all, ensuring it was the Libyan people who were leading this effort to make sure that their aspirations for freedom were at the core of this whole effort. And it will show that this is, in fact, a vindication that it is a lot easier -
(BUZZER SOUNDS)
CARDONA: -- and smarter to do it with an alliance and not going at it alone.
PHILLIPS: Dana?
DANA LOESCH, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I agree with Maria, somewhat, and I think this is a vindication. I think it's a vindication of the Bush doctrine, because for all intents and purposes, that's exactly what was replicated here.
Now, I've had my criticisms about how Iraq was handled. I've had my criticisms about our length of stay in Afghanistan. And I've definitely had my criticisms about why we've been involved in Libya in the first place as they pose no immediate threat to American interests.
So, I think it's, you know, it's one thing -- I don't know. I find myself turning into a peacenik. I don't like that!
(LAUGHTER)
LOESCH: I don't like reversing roles. Why do people do this to me? So that's where I am.
(BUZZER SOUNDS)
PHILLIPS: Patricia?
PATRICIA MURPHY, FOUNDER & EDITOR, "CITIZEN JANE POLITICS": I'm sure that's the last thing President Obama meant to do is turn Dana into a peacenik.
PHILLIPS: That's right, there she is!
MURPHY: Oh, I think it's actually way too soon to know how this is going to affect President Obama. Politically, I think in terms of foreign policy, Libya is joining one of these growing lists of where we see it's relatively easy to topple the government, but what comes in behind it -- is crucially important that we have a stable democracy.
And Libya, the president is going to have to do a lot either behind the scenes, overtly, certainly multilaterally, but to make sure that does not become a breeding ground for terrorism. It's a very, very dangerous place already. It could get worse or could get better, so I think the jury is still out about how it's going to affect the president in his foreign policy.
PHILLIPS: All right, ladies, question number two. It's August, members of Congress taking a break, wanting to hear from constituents. But there's a new survey out from a bipartisan advocacy group, No Labels, that says only 40 percent of House members are going to hold a town hall, something that's traditional for this time of year.
So why do you think that is? Wouldn't you think with everything going on in our economy, they'd want to hear from their voters? Dana?
LOESCH: You would think. This is exactly what happened in the summer of 2009 when you had so few town halls being held. And then finally when there was a town hall in a particular area, citizens were a little upset because they were wondering why their congressional representatives didn't want to listen to them.
And I think it's pretty evident that Congress hasn't been listening to the will of the people. We had in our own CNN poll, 66 percent of the people, voting Americans, supported cut, cap, and balance, which was completely disregarded by Democrats in the Senate - not Democrats in the House. But Democrats in the Senate and our own president. So, I think it's pretty clear they just don't want -
(BUZZER SOUNDS)
LOESCH: -- to hear criticisms from the people.
PHILLIPS: Maria?
CARDONA: First of all, the Bush Doctrine was completely go it alone, and this was the opposite of that. So, let's just say that.
LOESCH: No, it was not. No, it was not.
CARDONA: On Congress I will say -- I can't speak for Republicans, but Democrats are out there talking to voters. They are listening to the will of the people. They are the ones who are trying to get solutions to our economic problems done in a balanced way because the majority of Americans understand that there needs to be balance, there needs to be a fair approach to how we understand our economic solutions.
And it can't just be Republicans protecting millionaires and billionaires. The middle class has got to have champions here, and that's the Democrats.
(BUZZER SOUNDS)
PHILLIPS: Patricia?
MURPHY: Well, getting back actually to the question of town halls, members of Congress, I think they are worried - in some cases, legitimately -- about their personal safety. I know this because I talk to their staffers. So if you have a big open forum where you invite people to come in, there is a legitimate concern, they also don't want to lose control of what happens. It's now so easy for somebody who disagrees with them to show up with a video camera to attack them, to make them look bad, and then to tape the whole thing and put it on YouTube. But they are getting out there. I know that they are doing this. I've been to a lot of these meetings -- they are not town halls. But they'll go to hospitals, churches, elementary schools. They'll talk to them. They are hearing -
(BUZZER SOUNDS)
MURPHY: -- from their constituents. If they don't do it enough, though, they are going to lose their elections. So, they have to make that decision on their own.
PHILLIPS: All right, ladies, your "Buzzer Beater." Twenty seconds each on this one.
You know, the earthquake not only rattled our Capitol, but check out the political aftershocks on Twitter. This first one, "Dear Mother Nature, thanks for shutting down the federal government today." Here's another one. "If all of D.C. leaves work at the same time, the U.S. experiences a brief economic recovery." And here's one more. "Earthquake inflicted minimal damage on D.C., so Congress can resume inflicting maximum damage on the rest of the country."
Whew! So, here's my questions, ladies. What would your tweet have been? Patricia?
MUPRHY: I have to say, not to criticize here too much, but I wanted the president to get off the golf course when there was this relatively major event happening in D.C., all up and down the East Coast. And he stayed on the golf course. So, my tweet would have been, "Obama putts, Washington crumbles."
PHILLIPS: Oh! Maria?
CARDONA: Oooh! Well, since there really was no damage, I would actually have said something like, "Glad Obama not in Washington -- Republicans would have found a way to blame earthquake on him."
PHILLIPS: Dana?
LOESCH: I have to say to Maria, Bush Doctrine, there were more allies in alliance with us than in Libya. I had to say it! I had to say it. I have to correct her.
But my tweet, I think that Maria Cardona's tweet was "Democrats are positive this earthquake originated from the Bush fault line."
PHILLIPS: Oh! You guys are harsh! Harsh!
CARDONA: Good one.
PHILLIPS: Boy, I'd hate to be tweeting among you ladies. I'm going to stay on your good side. Thanks, guys.
CARDONA: Always, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: OK. LOESCH: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: You bet.
Coming up, chaotic celebrations in Tripoli. Libyan rebels showing off after capturing the Gadhafi compound. Our Sara Sidner was right in the middle of it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All right, here's the latest from Libya right now. A NATO official is confirming to CNN that special forces from several countries are stepping up their operations, trying to help the rebels. We're told that the troops are coming from Britain, France, Jordan, and Qatar.
And it's a lot calmer now at the rebel-held Gadhafi compound after his loyalists came out with guns ablazing yesterday. Our crews on the scene saw a little incoming sniper fire just a little while ago. Mortar fire also being reported in that area, and as you may remember, it was our Sara Sidner that was with the Libyan rebels for the big triumph yesterday. Very historic and hectic experience. If you missed it, here you go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Celebratory gunfire going off. They feel very, very excited. Very excited. We're going to go in a little bit further.
If you look over here to the right, you are seeing the fire. Some inside of Gadhafi's compound. We're trying to go in to see. We are told that the whole place has been controlled by the rebels, and there are cars driving in and out easily, but there is still quite a bit of gunfire. That gunfire, celebratory gunfire.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, our Sara Sidner has moved from that compound to what is being called Martyrs Square now. Sara, just talking - are you linked? You are with us still, yes? There we go. Can you hear me okay, Sara?
SIDNER: Yes, I can still hear you.
PHILLIPS: OK, I know it's hard amid all the celebratory gunfire. We've been talking about every 45 minutes, checking in with you. What's it like at the square now? Are you seeing more people leaving Tripoli? More people coming on to the streets? Give us a feel.
SIDNER: We're seeing more people coming to the square, we're hearing more blasts and gunfire at the square. We are seeing a few more residents.
What we just saw was a lovely scene of a resident getting out of his truck and giving water, giving cold water to people here. They brought out a little bit of food. As you know, it is still Ramadan, which means people are fasting for the most part up until the sun sets, and after sunset, they begin to have their very first meal of the day. The Ifcar meal, they are bringing that around. They've come to us to offer what they have.
The stores are generally closed, but now we're seeing that maybe one or two stores has opened up. People, obviously, those stores supporting the rebels and trying to be here for the residents who have come out on to the streets.
But again, the gunfire is again getting pretty rowdy. I like the way you put it, Kyra. You said the rebels were showing off, and that's exactly what they are doing. They are showing their might. They are showing their excitement. They are showing that the Gadhafi forces do not have any control of this city.
But they are also putting residents in danger by blasting of these massive, massive guns. Some of them were taken from a tank, for example. Some of them were taken from a helicopter and reconfigured to work on the trucks. So, they put these weapons together and the young men are blowing them all over the place.
I want to mention something. In the neighborhood we were in yesterday right next to Bab al-Aziya, I saw something that was heartening. Some of the older residents of that neighborhood came out and everyone was celebrating. There were children there, women there. And when people started shooting in the area, we saw these older gentlemen going around and saying please, stop. Our children are here. Let us celebrate, let us enjoy together, but let nobody get hurt.
And that was very heartening for us to see, because we do worry about ourselves and the children and the families and the rebels and whoever is in the area, because this is -- clearly, these bullets have to come down somewhere. And so that is happening in some neighborhoods as well, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And Sara, if you don't mind -- I asked you to do this last hour, if we jut could get a little bit wider picture and sort of describe to us what we know as Green Square now being referred to as Martyr Square, where exactly is the celebratory gunfire? Obviously it sounds like it's right next to you, but you were saying it's a bit from where you are?
SIDNER: Just a bit. I mean, I can walk over and talk to these folks. What's happening -- I'm going to kind of let the camera pan just a bit. What's happening is a lot of shooting going on this side. But the reason why it sounds so close -- my cameraman is trying to get you a shot.
OK, look at this truck that's going to pass by. You see that truck? That's going around the square, blowing off rounds. There's another truck with about five men in it all holding AK-47s, they are blowing off rounds. There's guys here with (INAUIDBLE) rifles, they are blowing off rounds. There are cars -- if you'll notice in just a few seconds, you'll see a car filled with children sitting on the outside holding the flag. Here it comes here. He was trying to get you a shot, a flag, children holding the flag on the outside, sitting up on the car. So there are some of the residents we've been telling you about.
But I mean look, they are not protected. They are leaning out of the car. There are guns all around, and I think people just generally have the sense they just want to celebrate. They are not thinking about some of the issues with this gunfire. They want to be here, because they want to say they are no longer silenced by the Gadhafi regime, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And you know, these are powerful pictures, Sara, obviously. And just getting to see this firsthand with you, it leads me to the next question of, you know, do you get a sense that it's kind of -- I mean, you mentioned yes, it's not safe, because gunfire is gunfire. But does it seem like anybody is in control? Anybody monitoring checkpoints like what we saw yesterday? You know, give us a feel for the security situation and who's really in charge there where you are.
SIDNER: Those are really good questions, Kyra, and it is the rebels that really seem to be in charge of most of the neighborhoods now. We've driven around the city a bit. We've gone through some of the neighborhoods. There are areas where they still won't let us travel, that they have cordoned those areas off. They have checkpoints throughout the city. There are areas where they're still saying there are snipers. There are areas where we're seeing cars with bullet holes in them that said look, that is from sniper fire, you cannot go down that road.
But it is clear the rebels are becoming more and more in control of Tripoli, of the capital, although we know --
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Sara, stay with me. I want to get right to our Matthew Chance. I understand he is calling in. As you know, he's been trapped inside the Rixos Hotel.
Matthew, are you with us? Tell us everything you know.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on the phone): Well, I can just tell you, breaking news situation here. We have now left the compound of the Rixos Hotel. All of the 36 journalists that were kept inside, essentially against their will, in what we all considered all along to be a hostage crisis have now -- hostage situation, rather -- have now been allowed to go out. It's been a very complicated, a very frightening, a very, you know, emotional roller coaster the last five days.
But I can tell you, we're sitting in vehicles of the ICRC, the International Committee of the Red Cross. We managed to negotiate the Red Cross to get in through the checkpoints of the Gadhafi loyalists, perhaps the only remaining Gadhafi loyalists checkpoint in Tripoli if the reports we've heard inside the hotel are to be believed.
And we've got all the journalists into these four cars, plus a civilian car, and we're now driving out of the Rixos. We're driving through the deserted street I have to say, of Tripoli to our freedom, essentially. It's been an absolutely - it's been absolute nightmare for all of us. There are journalists who have been as a result of this emotional release, the fact that we've got out of the hotel, crying. Emotions are running very high.
We went through a rebel checkpoint. The rebel checkpoint all along was just about, what, 150 meters down the road from the Rixos Hotel? They hadn't approached the hotel, presumably because they didn't want a big gunfight to take place where all those international journalists have been holed up over the course of the last five days.
PHILLIPS: And it's been awhile -
CHANCE: Just a moment.
PHILLIPS: That's okay, Matthew, and you let me know if this is not safe to talk. I mean, this is the -- you've finally been able to get out of this hotel. I want to ask you, though, were you ever threatened? Were you ever told to say or not say anything? Give us a feel for what was being said to you, and also a feel for your safety.
CHANCE: Well, we've been in -- frankly, we've been -- we've been living in fear for the past five days, because we've been really being held against our will by these crazy gunmen who were in the lobby of our hotel wearing green bandanas, waving Gadhafi flags, wielding around their (INAUDIBLE) assault rifles. They've been hostile towards us at times. They've often told us about how they think we're spies, NATO spies, you know, set and bent on destroying Libya. One of them shouted up to me just yesterday, we all corralled ourselves away from them because we didn't want to make too much contact with them because there was so much hostility.
One of them shouted up to me yesterday, "I suppose you're happy now, aren't you, now that Libyans are killing Libyans?" Once again, I'm deleing (ph) that idea that Gadhafi loyalists who were in control of that pocket of the Rixos Hotel really held the international media for some reason, responsible for this crisis in Libya.
So, I can't tell you how pleased we all are and how relieved we all are and how relieved our families will all be that we've finally managed to get out of that place.
PHILLIPS: And Matthew, just to reiterate, you said that all the journalists were freed. So are you telling me that everybody is OK, everybody is alive, and everybody --
CHANCE: Everybody is okay, there were no injuries, you know, perhaps some emotional scars. But apart from that, nothing visible. It's really been an incredible couple of hours.
I mean, we've been up all night. We've been up all night for the past five nights, frankly, trying to go through every possible scenario. Trying to negotiate our release. Trying to get out of this situation using whatever means.
And you know, we were confronted with these guys in the lobby of the hotel who were basically the die-hard Gadhafi loyalists. Except for one, and he was always really nice to us, and he was a bit of an older guy.
And, you know, I saw this incredible scene today. I don't know quite what happened, but some of our Arab-speaking colleagues were speaking to him, presumably convincing him that yes, history is being made around him, the world has changed outside the gates of the Rixos Hotel. He was following orders, basically being told to keep us there. He didn't realize, perhaps, or didn't believe that Tripoli has basically fallen, for the most part, to the rebels.
And so when he was convinced of that, you know what? He surrendered his guns, two of them surrendered their guns. Those guns were disabled and cast aside. And, you know, the whole atmosphere became one of finally, finally, we think we're going to be able to move out. Because previously to a few minutes ago, we've been asking every day, every hour, every minute almost, you know, in some capacity to get out of there. And we've always been told no, we're keeping you there for your safety, and it's not safe for you to go outside. You're not allowed to leave.
Every time somebody's tried to leave, there's been gun shots, there's been ferocious battles as well outside the Rixos Hotel, particularly because it's so close, remember, to Gadhafi's main compound where there's been fierce clashes between these opposition fighters and the remnants of Gadhafi's forces.
But I tell you, in the end, you know, it seemed to us -- and I don't know whether this is an accurate fact or not, but it seemed to us that we were sitting, we were trapped on the last pocket of Colonel Gadhafi's control in Tripoli, if not in the whole of Libya.
So, it was a very, very frustrating experience. And again, we're immensely relieved, all of us, that we're out of there and driving, essentially driving to our freedom.
PHILLIPS: And we want to welcome our international viewers, simulcasting now. Hala Gorani by my side. Hala?
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: This is - thank you. This Hala. And just for our viewers joining us now, you'll remember over the last five days the story of those journalists and other foreign nationals trapped at the Rixos Hotel. Our Matthew Chance free only for the last few minutes.
Matthew, over the last few days when we were talking, you mentioned these pro-Gadhafi elements in the hotel, around the perimeter of the hotel. Did they put up any kind of resistance?
CHANCE: Hello. Hello?
GORANI: Yes, Matthew, did those gunmen and the pro-Gadhafi forces in and around the hotel put up any kind of resistance? CHANCE: Well, they put up resistance to the rebels. They didn't let them come in. They didn't put up any resistance to us, because in the end - obviously, originally, the were -- all along they've been stopping us from going out.
But as I mentioned earlier, we managed, some of the Arabic- speaking journalists amongst our colleagues managed to negotiate with them, to convince them the world had changed outside and the rest of Tripoli is largely held now, as we know, by the TNC.
The rebels, when they finally realized this -- it's not clear whether it's because they didn't have the information or they just couldn't after 42 years nearly of Gadhafi's rule, comprehend the idea of a Libya without him. But when they finally understood it and took it in and embraced it - I mean, at one point, an (INAUDIBLE) assault rifle was thrown across the room into the kitchens in the restaurant area, and the whole situation changed. All of the guards there, the two guards who were in the lobby of the hotel, Gadhafi loyalists, right up until the end, right up until beyond the end, you could say. They basically came over to us and they said look, you know, we're not going to stop you from leaving anymore.
All we had to do then was arrange some kind of transport out of the hotel, and thankfully the ICRC, International Committee of the Red Cross, came up for us. And they came up with four cars. We've taken a civilian vehicle as well to get all the other journalists in. And we're now as we speak making our way to a safe location elsewhere in the city.
GORANI: Well, we don't want to, of course, discuss that location. We don't want to discuss where these journalists are headed. But Matthew, what are the streets like around you as you drive through Tripoli, really, for the first time. Because over the last few weeks you've been reporting from inside a hotel essentially.
CHANCE: I know, incredible isn't it? I mean, I didn't really have a great visual picture of what Tripoli would look like, but I'll tell you what it looks like now. It's - it's -- the streets are pretty deserted. I can tell you, there's not much traffic on the roads, not many people on the roads. So. there are a lot of TNC rebel checkpoints; we've been through at least three or four of them in the past five or ten minutes since we left the hotel.
So, it seems in this area of Tripoli at least, you know, the -- certainly in control of the rebels. A lot of people are throwing victory to us. There are some burned-out cars I can see by the sides of the roads. Some barricades that have been built up around the area. There have been rebel colors painted on lampposts in the center of traffic round about. The whole place is littered with a lot of refuse. There obviously haven't been any services around here for a while.
But again, we're going to another checkpoint now, heavily-armed rebels checking the cars. This ICRC car that we're in now. And then, you know, waving us through, Hala PHILLIPS: So Michael - or Matthew -- it's Kyra again. Question to you: as Hala was reporting, as I was reporting, rebels saying that they were gaining more and more of Tripoli -
(SIGNAL DISCONNECT)
PHILLIPS: oh, we lost him. Matthew, did we lose the connection?
OK, we did.
Hala, this is pretty remarkable. You and I both, just looking at the last pictures we got from our Matthew Chance and the more than 30 other journalists that were trapped inside this hotel, one of the last places where Gadhafi reporters were able to say hey, we have control, has now fallen. They have been released.
GORANI: Look, Kyra, it's stressful enough being in a hotel where you're constantly under the watchful eye of government minders. we've all been there. But there's something especially traumatizing about being there when fighting all around you, when you can hear gunshots and explosions, and you're being shot at when you try to leave the hospital (sic).
I cannot imagine psychologically what these journalists and others -- they are not all journalists. Some were diplomats. In fact, I believe there was even a member of Congress there. What they went through there over the last few days and what their families went through.
And just to let our viewers know who have not been watching this from the beginning, they were running out of food, they were running out of water. Electricity was sporadic. There were times when you and both were talking to Matthew and his batteries were dying. We had to let him go so he could try - so he'd have some type of communication with us, to beef up those batteries once again.
We really, as up to - it was just moments ago we got word that they negotiated, possibly negotiated, their release. We had no idea.
GORANI: And then they had to arrange for basically their drive out of that hotel.
You know, it's interesting, they were somewhere lost in no man's land between being journalists and hostages. I mean, on the one hand, they could not leave. On the other hand, they were still phoning in to us. So they were able to give us a blow-by-blow account of what it's like to be a hostage.
We were not saying hostage, we were saying trapped, we were not going with the fact -- we are not going to say that word hostage. But you heard what Matthew said, as soon as they were released, that's what they felt like.
PHILLIPS: And it's interesting, we weren't saying hostage. We were saying trapped. We were getting direct word, they are trapped. We are not going with the fact - we're not going to say that word hostage.
But you heard what Matthew said, and as soon as he was released, that's what they felt like.
GORANI: Yes and it's interesting because you want to do your job and reporting on your own imprisonment the entire time. And that has to be extremely, extremely difficult.
Thankfully for those of our viewers joining us now in the U.S. and around the world who have been following the stories of our colleagues and friends trapped in the Rixos, they are finally out. They are in Red Cross vehicles right now driving as free men and women through the streets of Tripoli.
PHILLIPS: Matthew Chance just calling into us, let's take another listen.
GORANI: Matthew, you're on the air if you can hear us.
PHILLIPS: I believe -- are we -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHANCE: We've got all the journalists into these four cars, plus a civilian car, and we're now driving out of the Rixos. We're driving through the deserted streets, I'd have to say, of Tripoli to our freedom, essentially. It's been an absolutely -- it's been an absolute nightmare for all of us. You know, there are journalists who have been, as a result of this emotional release, the fact that we've got out of the hotel, are crying, emotions are running very high.
We've been -- we've been living in fear for the past five days because we've been really being held against our will by these crazy gunmen who are in the lobby of our hotel wearing green bandanas, waving Gadhafi flags, wielding around their assault rifles. They've been very hostile towards us at times. They've often told us about how they think we're spies, NATO spies and set and bent on destroying Libya. One of them shouted up to me just yesterday -- we all corralled ourselves away from them because we didn't want to make much contact with them because there was such hostility.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
GORANI: Switch?
PHILLIPS: Yes.
GORANI: All right, you were listening to Matthew Chance, who was speaking to us just a bit earlier, just a remarkable situation. After five days of virtual imprisonment in the Rixos Hotel in Tripoli, foreign journalists, international journalists, some diplomats, politicians as well, a little more than 30 people trapped at the Rixos, we were very concerned for their safety. Thankfully, today is a day they are able to taste freedom for the first time in days in Tripoli.
Our Matthew Chance and our crew there on the ground, Jomana Karadsheh, everyone else from the CNN team and other networks from around the world who had gathered over the last few weeks to report on the Libya story from the Rixos Hotel, that seemingly last bastion of pro-Gadhafi control in the Libyan capital, they are now free. They are driving through the streets of Tripoli, headed to a safer location.
They were running out of food, they were running out of water. Hopefully -- well, hopefully they'll just be able to have a regular meal, call their loved ones, have a glass of water, take a shower, and just relax. But it was an absolutely traumatic experience.
