DAVID GREENE: This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm David Greene.
RENEE MONTAGNE: NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro has spent the past few days in and around Tripoli. Let's begin by talking about Gadhafi's son. He was out and about in Tripoli last night, clearly free, not captured by rebels. What was going on there?
LOURDES GARCIA: It's an extraordinary turn of events, you really can't overstate it. And I think it has given a real boost to the Gadhafi government, to have Seif al- Islam still at large and still feeling comfortable enough to be in his father's compound and take journalists on a tour of the city.
MONTAGNE: And what can you tell us about what's actually happening today?
GARCIA: There are, we understand, street fights, essentially, taking place in many areas. And heavy weapons are being used in civilian areas. Yesterday we saw mortar rounds landing in residential compounds. So the situation is increasingly fragile inside Tripoli. There is no electricity, there is limited food, and people are hunkering down in their homes, frankly terrified to go out.
MONTAGNE: And Lourdes, we're getting reports that rebels are advancing toward the oil terminals in Ras Lanuf, that's in the east. What do you know about that?
GARCIA: What we know is that the eastern front had been static for a long time. It took months to take the oil terminal of Brega. They finally managed to do that. The next place along that road is, indeed, Ras Lanuf, and we do understand that rebels are advancing along that front. Why that is key is that Ras Lanuf the last, sort of, large place before Gadhafi's stronghold of Surt. That is an area that is still very much under his control. There is speculation that Gadhafi, himself, may be there, although Seif al-Islam, Gadhafi's son, maintained that his father is in the capital, Tripoli. However, we really don't have any proof of that. But Surt is a very important front, they need to take that, as well. It lies in between Misrata and the east, and if they manage to take Surt, than the entire, sort of, east of the country, up to Misrata and beyond, will be in rebel hands.
MONTAGNE: Well, finally, at this moment in time, what does it look like? Who, in fact, does have control of Libya?
GARCIA: Well, certainly rebels control vast swaths of territory, but the fight for the capital is the key battle. And, right now, it is raging. And it's really not clear which side is winning.
MONTAGNE: NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro speaking to us, just outside Tripoli. Thanks very much.
GARCIA: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
