U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has hailed Libyan forces who ousted Muammar Gaddafi and vowed support for a democratic transition, on a surprise visit to Tripoli, AP reports.

"This is Libya's moment. This is Libya's victory. The future belongs to you," she said overnight, eight months after Libyans rose up against the four-decade rule of Gaddafi, sparking a conflict that has killed thousands.

Clinton, asked if Washington would cooperate with Libyan Islamists, said: "We will support a process of democratization that respects the rule of law, that respects the rights of minority and women and allows for a free media."

Clinton was the first U.S. cabinet official to visit Libya since September 2008, when her predecessor Condoleezza Rice met Gaddafi in what was a new stage in Washington's reconciliation with a former enemy state.

Speaking to students at the University of Tripoli, Clinton said: "The most important thing to do right now is to make sure that Gaddafi and his regime are finally prevented from disrupting the new Libya. But we hope he can be captured or killed soon, so you don't have to fear him any longer.”