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A Nato air strike in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, has killed the son of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, a government spokesman has said.
Colonel Gaddafi himself was in the large residential villa which was hit by the strike, the spokesman added, but was unharmed.
His son Saif al-Arab was said to be dead, as well as three grandchildren.
Nato has confirmed the air strike, without denying or confirming the reported deaths.
A Nato spokesman said the strike had hit a “known command and control building in the Bab al-Azizya neighbourhood”.
“All Nato’s targets are military in nature… We do not target individuals,” said Lieutenant-General Charles Bouchard.
He said that he was aware of reports that members of Col Gaddafi’s family had been killed, but made no further comment.
“We regret all loss of life, especially the innocent civilians being harmed as a result of the ongoing conflict,” said Lt-Gen Charles Bouchard.
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On Saturday, Nato officials said the alliance would not consider talks until government forces stopped attacks on civilians.
The vice-chairman of the Transitional National Council also rejected the offer of negotiations, saying the Libyan leader had “offered ceasefires only to continue violating basic human rights, international humanitarian law, and the safety and security of Libya and the entire region”.
Since he came to power in a bloodless coup in 1969 that replaced the pro-Western Sanusi monarchy, Libya’s leader has ruled with an iron-fisted hand that left almost no chance for any opposition to coalesce.
Quite contrary to what we normally perceive in the West, the way in which Gadhafi was able to cement this highly authoritarian system into place relied not only on pure, brute force — although that has always remained the ultimate deciding factor — but also on two other factors.
One was an intricate system of divide-and-rule that balanced families, tribes and the country’s provinces against each other. The second was by cloaking himself in an anti-Western and particularly anti-U.S. mantle that, initially at least, resonated among many of his fellow citizens after disastrous national legacies that included a brutal colonial period and a monarchy that was perceived as utterly corrupt, both financially and ideologically.
That combination protected Gadhafi’s Jamahiriya — a country that in his theory is run directly by its citizens — against destabilization and proved unassailable until last week.
For four decades, the regime withstood open confrontations with the West that included the U.S. bombing of Tripoli and Benghazi in April 1986, a series of unilateral U.S. economic sanctions and multilateral diplomatic and economic sanctions that profoundly isolated the country and a disastrous war with neighboring Chad that made a mockery out of the Libyan army.
Under great financial and diplomatic strains, Libya agreed in December 2003 to end its weapons of mass destruction program, committed to pay compensation for the victims of the 1988 airline bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland, and made its uneasy peace with the West.
Gadhafi also successfully weathered several internal attempts to overthrow the regime and managed to eviscerate all secular and religious opposition groups. The regime seemed invincible, impervious to whatever obstacles were thrown in its ruler’s way.
Thank you Dirk for this information, very good.
Only 12 members of Congress voted to approve health benefits for “1st Responders” to 911 Twin Towers.
Yes the Democrats overwhelmingly passed it. It has been years since 911 and the folks that involved
their lives to save whomever are now greatly disturbed with health concerns – OK who knew. What the
outcome effects would be. These folks Fire Dept, Police Dept, Medics put there lives on the line to help.
And this is how Congress rewards them for a job well done to the best of their ability – well damn Congress.
And you wonder why – folks are voting for anybody other than the incumbent to stand for there City,
or State reps. How dare you put these folks on the back burner. Do you have no shame or guilt what you
are doing to these folks. Understandably the economics in this country are steep, why do you think that
President Obama wanted the Health Care Reform bill past. Not just for future clients, but present ones in
need as well. Congress when are you going to get off your azz and stop throwing a rock and then hiding
your hand. You took your offices with a “vow” to pledge and help your constituents of your state and
others. Do not turn a blind eye to the needs of Americans, families are involved here and future generations.
Have you thought about what your legacy would be when you depart your office? Was it to help or hinder
the causes of citizens of the USA? Or is it money talks and bullshyt walks Congressmen Republicans.
The president of Egypt last night declared that he is ‘fed up and wants to go’ as bloody clashes continued in Cairo.
But Hosni Mubarak said he would not resign immediately – because he feared there would be ‘chaos’.
His remarks came as pro-government mobs targeted Western journalists and human rights activists near Tahrir Square, the centre of the protests.
There were reports the army was rounding up foreign cameramen and correspondents. A Greek man was reported to have died in the clashes.
Fears were growing that tourists could be next in line as Britain and other Western countries urgently evacuated their citizens. Last night 180 Britons flew out of Cairo on a specially chartered Foreign Office plane. As many as 25,000 remain.
Egypt yesterday pointed the finger at ‘foreign agendas’ for fuelling the protests.