In Tripoli, Nato chief hails ‘free Libya’

Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen listens to journalists questions during a Nato conference in Budapest on November 19, 2009


Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen yesterday hailed the end of the alliance’s military intervention in Libya, which helped bring about the death of deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi.

“It’s great to be in Libya, free Libya,” Rasmussen told a news conference in the capital Tripoli. “We acted to protect you. Together we succeeded. Libya is finally free, from Benghazi to Brega, from Misrata to the Western Mountains and to Tripoli.”

He said he was proud of the part Nato had played in the seven-month insurgency against Gaddafi, in which Nato planes and ships turned their firepower on his forces.

Shortly after Rasmussen spoke, members of the ruling National Transitional Council elected a new interim prime minister, whose predecessor resigned after Libya was officially declared liberated.

NATO concludes Libya mission after seven months

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen speaks at a news conference after talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Chancellery in Berlin on October 27, 2011.

NATO ends its military operation in Libya at midnight today, seven months after launching an air and sea campaign that helped bring the overthrow and death of Muammar Gaddafi.

In announcing the decision last week, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen called it “one of the most successful” operations in the history of the 62-year-old alliance.

Rasmussen will mark the end of the mission by visiting Libya today, where he will meet Libya’s National Transitional Council and members of civil society, the alliance said.

Despite Rasmussen’s depiction of the mission, the NATO intervention caused sharp rifts in the alliance and went on much longer than Western nations had expected or wanted.

Video of Gaddafi killed Saddam Hussein hanging execution and dictators death.

The world's infamous dictators and how they met their violent ends

Cut down in the cross-fire between loyalists and rebels, then flung in a truck and executed in front of a baying mob, Gaddafi’s final moments were as brutal as his crimes.

Covered in blood and dirt, he had pleaded for his life - the answer was a bullet to the temple.

So how does it compare to the grisly deaths of other ruthless dictators such as Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, Nicolae Ceausescu and Rafael Trujillo? The circumstances varied, but the cold and bloody nature of their final seconds did not.

The end: Saddam Hussein was hanged by vengeful countrymen after overseeing a brutal regime - his death signalled by a loud crack of his neck
'Caught like a rat': Saddam Hussein after being tracked down by U.S. forces
The body of Saddam Hussein in an undated image obtained by the Associated Press from an Arab language web site. Seemingly shot on a camera phone, the image appears to show the former Iraqi leader's corpse, with a gaping neck wound

Gaddafi met a merciless and brutal death

In the end Muammar Gaddafi's death was as violent as his life, gunned down without mercy in the crumbling ruins of his home town - wounded and begging for his life while cowering in a drain pipe.

His love of comic-opera uniforms, exotic female bodyguards and Bedouin tents provided a theatrical backdrop for 42 years of bloody repression that, in the end, could not withstand a determined uprising backed by NATO air power.

Chased out of Tripoli by rebel forces, Gaddafi disappeared - some said into the empty desert spaces in the south of his vast country.

In tandem with his eccentricity, Gaddafi had a charisma which initially at least won him support among many ordinary Libyans. His readiness to take on Western powers and Israel, both with rhetoric and action, earned him a certain cachet with some in other Arab states who felt their own leaders were too supine.

While leaders of neighbouring Arab states folded quickly in the face of popular uprisings, Gaddafi put up a bloody fight, taking on NATO as well as local insurgents who quickly seized half the country.



Together: Nurse Galyna was always close by.Gaddafi's female bodyguards seemed to prove that he ran Libya almost on a whim.Eccentric style: Gaddafi was known for his love of over-the-top military-style uniforms, variously seen in different colours and with a vast array of military awards and medals.Synonymous with terrorism: A young Gaddafi, right, is seen in an undated photo with notorious Ugandan leader Idi Amin.Shunned by the West: Links to revolutionaries , such as Cuba's Fidel Castro, made Gaddafi many enemies around the world

Gaddafi Dictator Mad Dog begs for his life after being dragged from a drain. Seconds later he was summarily executed

# Gaddafi tried to flee in a convoy hit by American drone
# Vehicles were also shelled by Nato fighter jets...
# ... before being driven back to his compound in Sirte
# Gaddafi in final attempt to flee before final push by rebels
# 'Found in a hole' wearing military-style clothing, shouting 'Don't shoot'
# Rebel forces executed him in front of a baying mob
# His body was paraded through the streets of the city
# Eldest son Saif shot in leg in Sirte day before - some reports say he is dead
# Other son Mutassim confirmed killed in Sirte
# Barack Obama hails 'momentous day' in history of Libya


Pleading: Muammar Gaddafi begged with his captors for his life after he was found cowering in a storm drain.Paraded: Gaddafi struggled with his captors in video footage taken by rebel fighters after he was captured.Chaotic: Gaddafi was pushed around by rebel fighters, one of whom filmed the incident on a mobile telephone.Fear: Becoming increasingly desperate, Gaddafi asked a rebel fighter 'What did I ever do to you'.Terrified: Moments after he begged for his life Gaddafi was shot dead by rebel fighters.Struggle: Video footage shows Gaddafi being hauled off a rebel fighter truck minutes after his capture.Manhandled: Rebel fighters pictured being taken off a truck shortly after he was detained.Arguing: Gaddafi pictured in chaotic video footage minutes before he was killed

Libyan Forces Seize Key Locations in Sirte After Intense Battles

Libyan forces from Misrata said they wrested control of key buildings in Muammar Qaddafi's hometown of Sirte from his supporters, after several days of intense street fighting that left scores dead and ...

Libya NTC forces expect to take Sirte in 48 hours

Smoke is seen rising over the city of Sirte on October 4, 2011, during clashes between anti-Gaddafi fighters and Gaddafi forces.

Forces with Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) now control more than half of Muammar Gaddafi’s hometown of Sirte and believe they will have the city under their complete control within two days, a local NTC commander told Reuters today.

“More than half of the city is under the control of the rebels,” said the commander, Adel Al-Hasi. “In two days, God willing, Sirte will be free.”

Gaddafi determined to avoid Saddam Hussein’s fate

When Muammar Gaddafi ponders his future from his hideout somewhere in Libya, he will probably recall the fate of another fallen Arab autocrat, Saddam Hussein, pulled bedraggled from a hole in the ground.

With that precedent in mind, Gaddafi will be adamant, say people who know him, about two things: he will not give up the fight against Libya’s new rulers and, if the end comes, he will not allow himself to be captured alive.

“Gaddafi will not stop fighting,” said Fathi Ben Shatwan, who served under the former Libyan leader as minister for energy and industry until five years ago. “He will not stop unless he is stopped.”

Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC), almost certainly with help from Western intelligence services, has mounted a manhunt to find Gaddafi that is focusing on the Sahara desert near the borders with Niger and Algeria.

Cameron, Sarkozy hailed in Libya, offer help

France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy (left), National Transitional Council (NTC) head Mustafa Abdul Jalil (centre) and Prime Minister David Cameron (right) join hands in Benghazi on September 15, 2011.

Nicolas Sarkozy and David Cameron landed in Libya to a heroes’ welcome yesterday, promising help for the new rulers that French and British air power helped to install and being told the favour may be repaid in business contracts.

Just three weeks after rebels backed by Nato bombers overran the capital, French President Sarkozy and the British prime minister promised in Tripoli to help hunt down Muammar Gaddafi and to hand his frozen assets to his successors.

The forces of the National Transitional Council (NTC) later said they had stormed Gaddafi’s home town of Sirte, one of three main urban areas still beyond the interim government’s control.

NTC fighters were facing strong resistance from loyalist fighters, especially snipers, a military spokesman said.

In Benghazi, seat of the uprising which early intervention by French and British jets helped to save from Gaddafi’s army in March, Sarkozy and Cameron were treated to a rowdy welcome on “Freedom Square,” shouting to be heard over a cheering crowd of hundreds — many in the city were unaware of their arrival.

Anti-Gaddafi forces storm desert stronghold

Anti-Gaddafi fighters head to the front line, north of the besieged city of Bani Walid September 16, 2011. Columns of anti-Gaddafi forces sped towards Bani Walid on Friday after their position came under attack and one of their number said they were planning to take the town, one of the last bastions of support for the ousted Libyan leader.

Forces loyal to Libya’s new rulers surged into the desert town of Bani Walid today in a fierce attack on one of the last strongholds still in the hands of Muammar Gaddafi loyalists that could prove a major turning point in the war.

Explosions and gunfire echoed over the hills surrounding the town, which has been under siege for two weeks, with hundreds of die-hard supporters of the country’s fugitive former ruler concentrated around its centre.

Clinton urges Africa to drop Gaddafi, embrace rebels

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today urged African leaders to abandon Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, saying it was time to live up to their pledges to promote democracy across the continent.

Clinton, the first US secretary of state ever to address the 53-member African Union, said unreformed African leaders were themselves at risk from the same tide of democracy sweeping the Middle East, proclaiming “the status quo is broken and the old ways of governing are no longer acceptable.”

“It is true that Gaddafi has played a major role in providing financial support for many African nations and institutions, including the AU,” Clinton said in her speech at the AU’s headquarters in Addis Ababa.

“But it has become clear that we are long past the time when he can remain in power.”

Long Libya mission to stretch UK force, says navy chief

An extended military campaign in Libya will be challenging for British naval resources and the government may need to prioritise where its assets are focused, the UK’s navy chief said today.

British aircraft and navy ships are playing a leading role in striking at Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s forces. Britain also has about 10,000 troops fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, the second most after the United States.

Admiral Mark Stanhope said he was “comfortable” within Nato’s new 90-day Libya mission mandate, which runs out at the end of September.

“Beyond that ... we might have to request the government to make some challenging decisions about what priorities they want,” he told reporters at a joint briefing with the head of the US navy in London.

“We have a small scale commitment in Libya ... if we do it for longer than 6 months then we have to reprioritise our forces across the piece — that does not mean we won’t be doing it.”

UK defence chiefs said in May extending the Libya campaign beyond six months would be a challenge for its armed forces.

Libyan rebels make fresh gains, Nato drops leaflets

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A Libyan rebel fighter distributes pizzas to his comrades inside a mosque taken from forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, after rebels pushed several kilometres in the direction of Zlitan, west of the rebel-held port city of Misrata, June 13, 2011.

fresh gains on the western front yesterday, pushing back forces loyal to leader Muammar Gaddafi in a string of clashes that brought them closer to the capital Tripoli.

Late yesterday, Nato resumed bombing the Libyan capital with strikes hitting the east of the city.

A Reuters correspondent in the capital heard at least three loud explosions and saw smoke in the sky and a fire. He could hear planes flying above.

NATO deploys helicopters to raise pressure on Gaddafi

A French military attack helicopter takes off from the deck of the French Navy helicopter carrier Tonnerre, to participate in their first military operation in Libya, in this June 3, 2011 photograph released by the French military on June 4, 2011. NATO employed attack helicopters to hit targets in Libya for the first time on Saturday, an alliance statement said.


British and French attack helicopters were used to strike inside Libya for the first time overnight today, hitting targets in the oil port of Brega as NATO forces stepped up their air war against Muammar Gaddafi.

A NATO-led military alliance extended its mission to protect civilians in Libya for a further 90 days this week, and France said it was stepping up military pressure as well as working with those close to Gaddafi to try to persuade him to quit.

“This was the first operational mission flown by British Army Apaches at sea,” British Secretary of State for Defence Liam Fox said.

“The additional capabilities now being employed by NATO further reinforces the UK’s enduring commitment and NATO’s determination to... ensure that the people of Libya are free to determine their own future.”

Libya's oil minister defects to 'fight for democracy'

Shukri Ghanem told reporters in Rome: 'I have left my country and my work to unite myself with the choice of young Libyans to fight for a democratic country.' Photograph: Gregorio Borgia/AP Libya's oil minister Shukri Ghanem has defected and ...

Bombing will continue in Libya as Nato mission is extended by 90 days

# Cameron denies British soldiers are now on the ground
# Latest air strikes destroy government ammunition dumps

Britain has welcomed Nato's decision to extend its mission in Libya for a further 90 days, which could see operations continue almost to the end of September.

Operations to enforce the no-fly zone and use air power to protect civilians were authorised for an initial 90 days - up to the end of June - when the military alliance took over command on March 31.

But with dictator Muammar Gaddafi still holding firm in the face of international military action, the allies have agreed an extension today.

The development came as UN investigators said that both Gaddafi and the forces of the opposition have committed war crimes in Libya.

A report by three UN-appointed experts called on both sides to conduct transparent and exhaustive investigations and bring those responsible to justice.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister David Cameron's official spokesman insisted that Britain has no combat troops in Libya, following the publication of photographs which appear to show Westerners on the ground in the country.

Men reported to be ex-SAS soldiers were pictured training the rebels. The Guardian reported that some were being used by Nato to identify targets in Misrata, while the Daily Mirror quoted a source saying they were 'representing Britain'.

But Government sources insisted there was no funding of such help for the rebels.

A private security firm is thought to have been employed to protect a joint Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence team sent to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi to offer technical assistance.

Asked if the UK was paying private security firms engaged in Libya, Mr Cameron's spokesman said: 'We have had an FCO/MoD team in Benghazi. Clearly we take their security seriously and have arrangements in place.'

 Target: Soldiers and civilians gather in front of a burning official building following a recent airstrike in Tripoli

 Danger zone: Smoke billows from a blast in the parking lot of the Tibesti hotel in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi yesterday

More on the way: Enhanced Paveway bombs arrive in Gioia Del Colle, Italy, from where the RAF is launching bombing raids on Libya

Italy pledges financial, fuel aid to Libyan rebels

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini opened Italy’s consulate in the Libyan rebel stronghold of Benghazi yesterday and pledged financial support for the rebels who are seeking to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi.

Italian oil firm Eni, the biggest foreign oil company in Libya, was taking part in the financial and fuel aid package for the rebel National Transitional Council, he said.

Frattini, the latest in a series of high-ranking Western visitors to Benghazi, said the aid, including “huge amounts of fuel and huge amounts of money worth hundreds of millions of euros” was promised in a memorandum of understanding he signed.

News crew films Western troops liaising with gunmen Are these men SAS helping Libyan rebels?

An Arab television channel has broadcast pictures which it says show Western special forces on the ground in Libya.

Footage by the Al Jazeera television channel shows a group of six Western-looking men – described as ‘possibly British’ – talking to rebel fighters near the besieged port city of Misrata.

With their peaked caps, wraparound sunglasses and assault rifles, the group certainly appear different to the rag-tag rebel army battling Colonel Gaddafi’s forces.

 Talks: South African President Jacob Zuma has arrived in Tripoli to meet Colonel Gaddafi

Elusive: The armed men quickly walk out of shot once they see the Al Jazeera camera

Special forces: The Western men are seen here walking away from the car and the pick-up truck, with the unarmed man in the pink T-shirt possibly an intelligence officer

Prosecutor seeks Gaddafi arrest over protest deaths

An international prosecutor today sought an arrest warrant for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi accusing him of committing crimes against humanity by killing protesters during an uprising against his 41-year rule.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo, International Criminal Court prosecutor, also asked judges, who now need to see if there is enough evidence to issue warrants, for the arrest of Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam and his spy chief Abdullah al-Senussi.

Moreno-Ocampo signalled his action earlier this month when said he would seek three arrests for the “pre-determined” killing of protesters in Libya after the UN Security Council referred the violence to the Hague-based court in February.