Thursday, October 20, 2011Libya’s fallen leader Muammar Qadhafi died of his wounds on Thursday, a National Transitional Council (NTC) field commander told Xinhua.
The commander, Momhemed Buras Ali Al—Maknee, told Xinhua earlier that a group of fighters from the western Libyan city of Misrata captured Mr. Qadhafi in Sirte, who was then severely injured.
The Dubai—based Al Arabiya TV reported Qadhafi’s corpse had arrived in Misrata.
Earlier Al—Jazeera TV said NATO jets fired at a convoy of cars, probably with Mr. Qadhafi onboard, fleeing Sirte.
The pan—Arab TV, meanwhile, quoted Abdel Hakim Belhaj, NTC’s military chief in Tripoli as confirming that Mr Qadhafi had been killed. NTC spokesman Abdel Hafiz Ghoga also confirmed Qadhafi’s death.
There are conflicting information on the circumstances surrounding his death. The death has yet to be officially announced by the NTC, with NTC chief Mustafa Abdul—Jalil expecting to address the Libyan people soon.
The NTC troops and the people of the war—torn country were celebrating following reports on Mr. Qadhafi’s death, cheering and hoisting NTC flags, Xinhua reporters said.
The 69 year—old leader, whose forces were driven out of capital Tripoli by the now ruling NTC on Aug. 23, had been “leading resistance” against his foes from an undisclosed place in Libya for the past months, according to his spokesman.
On June 27, the International Criminal Court (ICC) had issued arrest warrants for Mr.Qadhafi, his son Saif al—Islam and intelligence chief Abdullah al—Senussi on charges of crimes against humanity, and on Sept. 9, the international police agency INTERPOL issued Red Notice for the three as requested by ICC.
Meanwhile, al—Jazeera said Mq. Qadhafi’s fourth son Mutassim was captured also on Thursday in Sirte, several hours after his father was killed, besides, the TV footage also showed a body which it said belonged to Mr. Qadhafi’s defence minister Abu Bakr Younus.
Earlier on Thursday, the same satellite TV had said forces of Libya’s NTC had reportedly overrun the last position held by troops loyal to Mr.Qadhafi in Sirte, the fallen leader’s hometown.
AP reports
Officials in Libya’s transitional government said Muammar Qadhafi has been captured and possibly killed in the fall of his hometown Sirte on Thursday. But there was no confirmation from the country’s most senior leaders.
Information Minister Mahmoud Shammam said he has confirmed that Mr. Qadhafi was dead from fighters who said they saw the body. He said he expects the prime minister to confirm the death soon, noting that past reports emerged “before making 100 percent confirmation.”
“Our people in Sirte saw the body ... Mustafa Abdul—Jalil will confirm it soon,” he told The Associated Press. “Revolutionaries say Qadhafi was in a convoy and that they attacked the convoy.”
Col. Roland Lavoie, spokesman for NATO’s operational headquarters in Naples, Italy, said the alliance’s aircraft on Thursday morning struck two vehicles of pro—Qadhafi forces “which were part of a larger group manoeuvring in the vicinity of Sirte.”
But NATO officials, speaking on condition of anonymity in accordance to alliance rules, said the alliance also could not independently confirm whether Mr. Qadhafi was killed or captured.
The spokesman for Libya’s transitional government, Jalal al—Gallal, and its military spokesman Abdul—Rahman Busin said the reports have not been confirmed.
The caution in making a definitive announcement came because past reports of Qadhafi family deaths or captures have later proven incorrect, even after they were announced by officials, because of the confusion among the revolutionary forces’ ranks and the multiple bodies involved in commanding their fighters.
The Misrata Military Council, one of the command groups, said its fighters captured Mr. Qadhafi. Another commander, Abdel—Basit Haroun, says Mr Qadhafi was killed when the airstrike hit the fleeing convoy.
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