Gadhafi survives NATO attack that kills his son
Source: Agencies |
May 2, 2011, Monday
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Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi escaped a NATO missile strike in Tripoli that killed one of his sons and three young grandchildren, a government spokesman said yesterday.
Hours later, Gadhafi's forces shelled a besieged rebel port in a sign that the airstrike had not forced a change in the government tactics.
NATO's attack on a Gadhafi family compound in a residential area of Tripoli late on Saturday signaled escalating pressure on the Libyan leader.
The alliance acknowledged that it had struck a "command and control building," but insisted all its targets are military in nature and linked to Gadhafi's systematic attacks on the population.
Libyan officials denounced the attack as a crime and violation of international law. However, British Prime Minister David Cameron, without confirming fatalities, told the BBC the strike was in line with a United Nations mandate to prevent "a loss of civilian life by targeting Gadhafi's war-making machine."
The attack struck the house of one of Gadhafi's younger sons, Seif al-Arab, when the Libyan leader and his wife were inside, said Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim. Seif al-Arab, 29, and three of Gadhafi's grandchildren, all younger than 12, were killed.
Journalists taken to the walled complex of one-story buildings saw heavy bomb damage. The blast had torn down the ceiling of one building. Dust and smoke rose from the rubble, which included household items such as smashed toilet bowls, bathroom sinks and furniture among the broken walls and demolished floors.
When news of the deadly strike spread, rebels honked horns and chanted "Allahu Akbar" or "God is great" while speeding through the western city of Misrata, which Gadhafi's forces have besieged and subjected to random shelling for two months, killing hundreds. Fireworks were set off in front of the central Hikma hospital, causing a brief panic that the light would draw fire from Gadhafi's forces.
NATO warplanes have been carrying out airstrikes in Libya for the past month as part of a UN mandate to protect Libyan civilians.
The commander of the NATO operation, Canadian Lieutenant General Charles Bouchard, said he was aware of unconfirmed reports that Gadhafi family members may have been killed and he regretted "all loss of life, specially the innocent civilians being harmed as a result of the ongoing conflict."
Seif al-Arab Gadhafi was one of the youngest of Gadhafi's seven sons and brother of the better known Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, who had been touted as a reformist before the uprising began in mid-February. The younger Gadhafi had spent much of his time in Germany in recent years where he had several run-ins with the law.
In 2007, his house and hotel suite were raided by police over allegations of illegally possessing weapons despite his claims of diplomatic immunity.
Between November 2006 and July 2010 police led investigations against him on 10 counts, ranging from speeding incidents to bodily harm and possession of illegal weapons, Bavaria's state justice ministry confirmed last month. All the investigations against him, however, was dropped.
German media reported that Seif al-Arab returned to Libya in February and Bavaria's Interior Ministry later said he had been declared a persona-non-grata.
The fatal airstrike came just hours after Gadhafi called for a mutual cease-fire.
Hours later, Gadhafi's forces shelled a besieged rebel port in a sign that the airstrike had not forced a change in the government tactics.
NATO's attack on a Gadhafi family compound in a residential area of Tripoli late on Saturday signaled escalating pressure on the Libyan leader.
The alliance acknowledged that it had struck a "command and control building," but insisted all its targets are military in nature and linked to Gadhafi's systematic attacks on the population.
Libyan officials denounced the attack as a crime and violation of international law. However, British Prime Minister David Cameron, without confirming fatalities, told the BBC the strike was in line with a United Nations mandate to prevent "a loss of civilian life by targeting Gadhafi's war-making machine."
The attack struck the house of one of Gadhafi's younger sons, Seif al-Arab, when the Libyan leader and his wife were inside, said Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim. Seif al-Arab, 29, and three of Gadhafi's grandchildren, all younger than 12, were killed.
Journalists taken to the walled complex of one-story buildings saw heavy bomb damage. The blast had torn down the ceiling of one building. Dust and smoke rose from the rubble, which included household items such as smashed toilet bowls, bathroom sinks and furniture among the broken walls and demolished floors.
When news of the deadly strike spread, rebels honked horns and chanted "Allahu Akbar" or "God is great" while speeding through the western city of Misrata, which Gadhafi's forces have besieged and subjected to random shelling for two months, killing hundreds. Fireworks were set off in front of the central Hikma hospital, causing a brief panic that the light would draw fire from Gadhafi's forces.
NATO warplanes have been carrying out airstrikes in Libya for the past month as part of a UN mandate to protect Libyan civilians.
The commander of the NATO operation, Canadian Lieutenant General Charles Bouchard, said he was aware of unconfirmed reports that Gadhafi family members may have been killed and he regretted "all loss of life, specially the innocent civilians being harmed as a result of the ongoing conflict."
Seif al-Arab Gadhafi was one of the youngest of Gadhafi's seven sons and brother of the better known Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, who had been touted as a reformist before the uprising began in mid-February. The younger Gadhafi had spent much of his time in Germany in recent years where he had several run-ins with the law.
In 2007, his house and hotel suite were raided by police over allegations of illegally possessing weapons despite his claims of diplomatic immunity.
Between November 2006 and July 2010 police led investigations against him on 10 counts, ranging from speeding incidents to bodily harm and possession of illegal weapons, Bavaria's state justice ministry confirmed last month. All the investigations against him, however, was dropped.
German media reported that Seif al-Arab returned to Libya in February and Bavaria's Interior Ministry later said he had been declared a persona-non-grata.
The fatal airstrike came just hours after Gadhafi called for a mutual cease-fire.
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