Despite massive airstrikes by the U.S. and its military allies, TIME contract photographer Christopher Morris remains in Tripoli, documenting the ongoing conflict and its aftermath.
Morris visited embattled leader Muammar Gaddafi’s headquarters twice on Saturday, part of an official tour conducted by the regime. “It’s something straight out of a bad James Bond movie,” Morris said. Inside the compound, he encountered a devout Gaddafi supporter who began slapping his forearm, the way a heroin addict prepares his veins, screaming, “Muammar is in my blood.”
That very same compound was struck by missiles Sunday night. After the airstrike, Morris and a group of journalists were loaded onto a bus to tour the compound once again, the third time in two days. “They tell us where we are going, they just don’t tell us why,” Morris said. “Upon our arrival, you could sense that things were very different. All of the lights in the inner walls were out and anti-aircraft guns were moved into the open. We were rushed to a large building in the center of the compound that was hit two hours earlier by some kind of missile strike. Soldiers and journalists picked through the rubble pulling out missile parts that were still warm.”
Note: This gallery will be updated regularly. More of Morris’s work from Libya can be seen here.
A supporter of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi holds a poster overlooking a demonstration in Ban-Waled, March 23, 2011.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEThe crowd begins to gather in Ban-Waled, March 23, 2011. Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEA Gaddafi supporter in Ban-Waled, March 23, 2011.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMESupporters of Gaddafi vent their anger towards the foreign media in Ban-Waled, March 23, 2011.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEThe outskirts of the demonstration in Ban-Waled, March 23, 2011. Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEA man on a mobile phone in Ban-Waled, March 23, 2011.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEA Gaddafi loyalist stands amid the wreckage of a building struck by missiles in Tripoli, Libya, March 22, 2011.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEEmpty streets in Tripoli, March 22, 2011. Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEA press conference in the Rixos Hotel in Tripoli, March 22, 2011. Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEA man watches television, March 22, 2011. Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEA Gaddafi supporter holds a portrait of the Libyan leader for the media during a tour of a building struck by missiles, March 22, 2011.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEAnti-aircraft fire over Tripoli, March 21, 2011.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMELibyan soldiers survey the damage to a building hit by a missile in Gaddafi's compound, March 21, 2011.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMESoldiers sift through the rubble after the missile strike, March 21, 2011.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEThe cruise missile struck a building in the center of Gaddafi's compound. A Libyan soldier displays what appears to be shrapnel for television cameras, March 21, 2011.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMENo casualties were reported in the strike. Libyan soldiers are shown here in the midst of the destruction, March 21, 2011. Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEGaddafi loyalists bury a man allegedly killed during a missile attack, March 20, 2011.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEGaddafi loyalists carry the coffin of a man allegedly killed during a missile attack, March 20, 2011.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEMen stand in prepared graves as they await the arrival of people allegedly killed during missile strikes, March 20, 2011.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEA Gaddafi loyalist prays near the cemetery, March 20, 2011. Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEMen await the arrival of bodies, March 20, 2011. Christopher Morris—VII for TIMELibyans waiting for bodies, March 20, 2011. Christopher Morris—VII for TIMELoyalists express their support for Gaddafi in the cemetery, March 20, 2011.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEThe martyrs' cemetery, March 20, 2011.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEA transmission dish for Libyan state television at the cemetery, March 20, 2011.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEAyesha Gaddafi, the daughter of Muammar Gaddafi, joins loyalist supporters at a rally outside Gaddafi's compound, March 19, 2011.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEMen and soldiers chat near the blast wall outside of Gaddafi's compound, March 19, 2011.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEA Libyan soldier at nightfall, March 19, 2011. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
