Rebels say Tripoli's fall 'imminent'

DUBAI: Libyan rebels said victory in Tripoli was imminent on Sunday and urged NATO to join the final battle with Apache assault helicopters.

"We will enter Tripoli in a few hours. Between now and tomorrow we expect it to fall in our hands," said rebel commander Abdelhakim Belhaj.

And Aref Ali Nayad, the rebel National Transitional Council's envoy to the United Arab Emirates, told reporters in Dubai: "We expect victory tonight."

The battle for Tripoli, which is the stronghold of Qadhafi's regime, has left "hundreds dead and thousands wounded," he said.

Insurgents, Nayad added, have formally requested NATO deploy more assault Apache helicopters to assist them in combat.

"The Apaches are very precise and we are in great need of their intervention. We made a formal request last night," he said.

In Benghazi, rebels said an operation dubbed "Mermaid" was underway in the capital with the goal of isolating the veteran leader and forcing his surrender or departure.

The regime in Tripoli retorted that "thousands" of professional and volunteer troops were ready to defend the capital against NATO-backed rebels.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011