Muammar Gaddafi has been killed by fighters who overran his hometown and final bastion today, Reuters is reporting. Libya’s new leaders have confirmed the news, and are saying his bloodied body was stripped when discovered.
Senior officials in the interim government feel Gaddafi’s death opens the way for a declaration of liberation after eight months of war. While Western leaders waited on confirming Gaddafi’s death, Libya’s Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril has reported the news. As the new national flag filled Libya’s streets, rebels celebrated the news of Gaddafi’s death.
No official details on Gaddafi’s death have been released yet. However, top officials of the National Transitional Council have said the former leader died of wounds sustained in fights.
Other reports claim he tried to break out of hiding, but was stopped by a NATO airstrike. He reportedly was captured for at least three or four hours, after he was found hiding in a drainage culvert. NATO has confirmed its warplanes fired on a convoy near Sirte around 8:30 am local time. Two military vehicles were struck, but the government organization has yet to confirm if Gaddafi was killed in the attack.
With Gaddafi’s death, the country is facing the challenge of turning the oil wealth Gaddafi once monopolized and the government into a democracy. The country hopes to fix tribal, ethnic and regional divisions he exploited.
Written by: Karen Benardello
