Gaddafi delivers audio message

Libyan rebels in hot pursuit of fugitive despot Col. Moammar Gaddafi claimed to have surrounded his hideout in a Tripoli residential compound but there was no independent confirmation he was actually inside.At the same time, the man who commanded Libya for nearly 42 years took to the airwaves to deliver an audio message calling on Libyans to resist these enemy rats and urging them to leave your homes and liberate Tripoli.However, it was not known when Gaddafi made the recording – his third broadcast since rebels seized his massive home compound Tuesday. He has not been seen in public for weeks.With a bounty of $1.7 million on his head, and the rebels determined to flush him out and declare a final victory in their six-month uprising, Gaddafi has become, at least temporarily, the worlds most wanted fugitive.A rebel spokesman said Gaddafi was hiding inside a Tripoli apartment building along with an unspecified number of his sons.The apartment block was near Gaddafis compound and a massive firefight was underway, with heavy resistance coming from the building, however the Pentagon was unable to confirm the rebel claim that Gaddafi was surrounded.In Washington, a US official said that the CIA was collecting intelligence about the situation on the ground. The US government, NATO and other foreign partners will continue to gather information to assist the Libyan people with critical security priorities.But Pentagon spokesman Col. Dave Lapan stressed the US was not involved in a manhunt.