Journey To Tripoli: Sky On Road With Rebels

It has been the most astonishing 24 hours.

At dawn in Zawiyah we could hear the sound of gunfire at the town's eastern gate on the road to Tripoli.

The streets were empty and the rebels were cautiously trying to break through what they believed would be a tough barrier of Gaddafi forces.

By nightfall we were in the capital surrounded by thousands of rebels and Tripoli residents delirious with happiness.

The rebels encountered very little resistance at all as they made their march to the capital.

Town after town and village after village fell to the rebels.

They raced along the main highway to Tripoli in a long convoy of adapted pick-up trucks and ordinary cars.

They even commandeered a tank and a digger, which lay sand barriers behind them as they moved forward.

Hundreds walked on foot and sometimes ran as they came under fire from the odd Gaddafi sniper en route.

But the snipers were mere hiccups in a relentless drive to the capital.

They sang songs and chanted anti-Gaddafi ditties.

We found green Libyan military uniforms discarded en route as the soldiers made a run for it in the face of this advancing ramshackle collection of people.

They were soldiers who defected and switched sides, they were engineers, doctors and students who had taken up arms and they were returning Libyan expats who wanted to change history.

One of the most dramatic moments was when the rebels overran the Khamis Brigade headquarters.

This was the most feared unit in Libya, run by Gaddafi's son and in charge of intenal secuity.

People were walking in and filling pick-up trucks with anything they could lay their hands on; televisions, office furniture and most crucially extra ammunition and military hardware.

There were files on those who had shown dissent including a list of people who had been spotted on television taking part in anti-Gaddafi demonstrations and who were promptly rounded up and taken to jail.

As the convoy edged closer to Tripoli, the numbers began swelling and suddenly people were coming out onto the streets.

They were singing and the women were whooping.

By the time we reached Tripoli there were so many vehicles which had joined the convoy, the entrance to the city was gridlocked.

Car horns were permanently depressed and the soldiers were firing their guns into the air in celebration.

We thought it was an incredible scene, especially as the vehicles were soon surrounded by hundreds of Tripoli residents who came pouring out of their homes to greet the convoy.

It was incredible yes, but nothing like what was ahead of us.

The convoy was making a beeline for Green Square.

As we got in sight of it, some random firing spooked the front of the convoy and there was a crazy, panic-stricken about-turn with vehicles careering all over the place and people running for cover as guns were fired in every direction.

They settled down and we headed off for the square again.

As we turned into it the Sky crew was on the back of a pick-up truck.

Producer Andy Marsh was gently turning our Bgan so its line of sight with the satellite remained constant.

Camermen Jim Foster and Garwen McLuckie filmed live pictures constantly for more than two hours as thousands shouted, sang, danced and kissed the ground in the square.

The sound of gunfire was constant as weapons were fired over and over again in celebration.

People were hugging and kissing the rebels and tearing down Gaddafi portraits; they were drunk on victory and delirious with excitement and relief.

"It's over for Gaddafi," they shouted. "We are free, we are free."

We kept on circling the Square and people kept on celebrating. No one was in any mood to stop this wild partying, everyone was high and it was infectious.

We finally pulled away to try to edit a report, but stopped at the city's hospital en route.

As we arrived, so did an ambulance with some of the wounded.

Out of nowhere a gun fight erupted outside the hospital and we ran for cover inside.

The rebel's revolution may not be over just yet.