Libyan Dictator Gaddafi Hiding Outside Tripoli - Rebel Commander

World | September 1, 2011, Thursday // 20:11
Bulgaria: Libyan Dictator Gaddafi Hiding Outside Tripoli - Rebel Commander A revolutionary soldier puts his hand over his heart while he sings the Libyan national anthem during a demonstration against Muammar Gaddafi at Green Square now renamed Martyr`s Square in Tripoli, Libya, late 30 August 2011. EPA/BGNES

Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi is hiding in Bani Walid, a desert town near Tripoli, according to Abdel Majid Mlegta, coordinator of the Tripoli military operations room

Mlegta said rebels' trusted sources informed that Gaddafi fled to Bani Walid, 150 km southeast of the capital Tripoli, planning a fightback, a quoted by the pro-rebel Free Libya TV,

The rebel commander revealed that Gaddafi had taken refuge in the town together with his son Seif al-Islam Gaddafi and intelligence chief Abdullah Senoussi three days after the rebels took the capital in the Battle for Tripoli last week. All three men are wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague for war crimes.

"They wanted to set up an operations room there and conduct aggressive operations against us,' he said. "We have talked to people from Bani Walid to arrest him and hand him over. They haven't responded. We are assessing our position," the rebel commander is quoted as saying, adding, "We are capable of ending the crisis but military action is out of the question right now."

The information that Gaddafi is in Bani Walid remains unconfirmed, and his whereabouts are generally considered to be unknown in spite of the varying reports.

On Thursday, the rebels' Transitional National Council extended by one week its deadline to Sirte, Gaddafi's hometown, to surrender or face a military assault. The deadline was previously set for Saturday.

Sirte, 450 km east of Tripoli, and Sabha, 600 km to the south, are Gaddafi's two last major strongholds.

The Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi made Thursday night his latest audio statement, broadcast on al-Rai TV, has marked the 42nd anniversary of the coup against King Idris I that brought the Libya leader to power, while leaders meet in France for the "Friends of Libya" conference to recognize the National Transitional Council. 

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Tags: Muammar Gaddafi, Libya, rebels, tribesmen, tribes, Sirte, transitional National Council, Tripoli, Bani Walid

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