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Tripoli:
Muammar Gaddafi, who ruled Libya for 42 years after coming to
power in a coup, was killed Thursday by National Transitional
Council fighters in his hometown Sirte.
"We have been waiting for this
moment for a long time. Muammar Gaddafi has been killed," the de
facto Libyan Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril told reporters in
Tripoli.
Abdul Hakim Belhaj, an NTC military chief, said Gaddafi had died
of his wounds after being captured near Sirte on Thursday.
Television channels flashed images of a bloodied Gaddafi who was
leaning against a fighter.
The commander, Mohemmed Buras Ali Al-Maknee, had earlier said that
a group of fighters from the western Libyan city of Misrata
captured Gaddafi, who had been severely injured.
He had been injured in both his legs during the fierce battle at
Sirte.
The body of the former Libyan leader was taken to a location which
is being kept secret for security reasons, an NTC official said.
"Gaddafi's body is with our unit in
a car and we are taking the body to a secret place for security
reasons," Mohamed Abdel Kafi, an NTC official in the city of
Misrata, told Reuters news agency.
Earlier, Abdel Majid, another NTC official, said the toppled
leader had been wounded in both legs.
The fall of Sirte and Gaddafi's death brought an end to a
tumultuous period in Libya which witnessed an uprising that was
inspired by the Egyptian revolt.
Gaddafi had come to power Sep 1, 1969. The "Free Officers
Movement", a small group of military officers led by Gaddafi,
staged a bloodless coup that toppled King Idris and established
the Libyan Arab Republic.
Gaddafi, whose forces were driven out of capital Tripoli by the
now ruling NTC Aug 23, had been leading a strong resistance in the
past months.
On June 27, the International Criminal Court (ICC) had issued
arrest warrants for Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam and
intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi on charges of crimes
against humanity.
On Sep 9, the international police agency Interpol issued Red
Notice for the three.
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