thedailywhat: Follow Up of the Day: Libyan Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril announced a short while ago that Muammar Gaddafi was in fact killed while attempting to flee from anti-loyalist forces flooding into Sirte. The State Department and NATO have yet to independently confirm the claim. According to the Daily Telegraph, Gaddafi’s convoy was struck with a bomb from a NATO aircraft, causing the deposed leader to flee into a nearby drain where he was eventually captured. NATO has confirmed the airstrike, but said it was targeting pro-Gaddafi forces engaging in military operations and could not confirm Gaddafi’s presence in the convoy. Gaddafi’s spokesman Moussa Ibrahim was also captured in Sirte, according to a National Transitional Council official, and Gaddafi’s son Mutassim and former defense minister Abu Bakr Yunis were both killed. Al Arabiya says it has confirmed reports that Seif al-Islam, another of Gaddafi’s sons, was killed as well. Questions surrounding the exact nature of Gaddafi’s demise continue to emerge. Though the NTC alleges that the tyrant had succumb to wounds suffered during the attack, just-obtained footage shows Gaddafi alive and mobile in the immediate aftermath of his capture (warning: graphic): Video of later scenes released by Al Arabiya shows an unresponsive Gaddafi being aggressively manhandled by unidentified men, while footage aired on Al Jazeera shows Gaddafi’s body being shoved around while strewn about on the street. Global reaction to Gaddafi’s death has been swift. ”This is only the end of the beginning,” said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Other world leaders such as British PM David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy expressed optimism and hope in their official statements. President Obama is set to address Gaddafi’s death at 2 PM ET from the White House’s Rose Garden. CBS News aired a behind-the-scenes video from a press interview with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, during which she receives word of Gaddafi’s death via BlackBerry. Her initial reaction was “wow.”  Further Reading/Viewing: Why Qaddafi’s Death Matters; a 1987 sitcom starring Matthew Perry predicted the year of Gaddafi’s death; Below: Meet Mohammed: The Yankees fan who found Gaddafi:  Live Updates: The Lede; Reuters; BBC News; The Guardian. [tdb: 1,2 / telegraph / thelede / @alarabiya / bbc / abcnews / cbsnews / photo: msnbc.]

thedailywhat:

Follow Up of the Day: Libyan Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril announced a short while ago that Muammar Gaddafi was in fact killed while attempting to flee from anti-loyalist forces flooding into Sirte. The State Department and NATO have yet to independently confirm the claim.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Gaddafi’s convoy was struck with a bomb from a NATO aircraft, causing the deposed leader to flee into a nearby drain where he was eventually captured. NATO has confirmed the airstrike, but said it was targeting pro-Gaddafi forces engaging in military operations and could not confirm Gaddafi’s presence in the convoy.

Gaddafi’s spokesman Moussa Ibrahim was also captured in Sirte, according to a National Transitional Council official, and Gaddafi’s son Mutassim and former defense minister Abu Bakr Yunis were both killed. Al Arabiya says it has confirmed reports that Seif al-Islam, another of Gaddafi’s sons, was killed as well.

Questions surrounding the exact nature of Gaddafi’s demise continue to emerge. Though the NTC alleges that the tyrant had succumb to wounds suffered during the attack, just-obtained footage shows Gaddafi alive and mobile in the immediate aftermath of his capture (warning: graphic):

Video of later scenes released by Al Arabiya shows an unresponsive Gaddafi being aggressively manhandled by unidentified men, while footage aired on Al Jazeera shows Gaddafi’s body being shoved around while strewn about on the street.

Global reaction to Gaddafi’s death has been swift. ”This is only the end of the beginning,” said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Other world leaders such as British PM David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy expressed optimism and hope in their official statements. President Obama is set to address Gaddafi’s death at 2 PM ET from the White House’s Rose Garden.

CBS News aired a behind-the-scenes video from a press interview with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, during which she receives word of Gaddafi’s death via BlackBerry. Her initial reaction was “wow.” 

Further Reading/Viewing: Why Qaddafi’s Death Matters; a 1987 sitcom starring Matthew Perry predicted the year of Gaddafi’s death; Below: Meet Mohammed: The Yankees fan who found Gaddafi: 


Live Updates: The Lede; Reuters; BBC News; The Guardian.

[tdb: 1,2 / telegraph / thelede / @alarabiya / bbc / abcnews / cbsnews / photo: msnbc.]