Khadafi Family Hopes To Bring War Crimes Suit Against NATO

Yes, you read that headline correctly. Libyan dictator Mumar Khadafi, whose 40+ year rule included open support for terror groups, carrying out war crimes against his own population, and all manner of depravity, was killed by Libyan rebels after a NATO airstrike hit the convoy in which he rode.

Now, relatives are complaining about his death and want to bring war crimes charges against NATO.

Marcel Ceccaldi, a French lawyer who previously worked for Kadafi's regime and now represents his family, told AFP on Wednesday that the complaint would be filed with the International Criminal Court in the Hague because the family believes a NATO strike on Kadafi’s convoy led directly to his death.

Kadafi, who ruled Libya for more than four decades, was captured alive by revolutionary fighters on Thursday in his hometown of Surt, ending an eight-month war that cost more than 30,000 lives. The circumstances of his death remain unclear.

Libyan authorities have said he likely died in crossfire. Others, including the international rights advocacy group Human Rights Watch, believe Kadafi was executed. But Kadafi’s family is convinced that he died as a result of NATO aircraft firing on his convoy as it fled Surt, Ceccaldi told AFP.

"The willful killing [of someone protected by the Geneva Convention] is defined as a war crime by Article 8 of the ICC's Rome Statute," the news agency quoted Ceccaldi as saying. "Kadafi's homicide shows that the goal of [NATO] member states was not to protect civilians but to overthrow the regime.”

It was unclear when the complaint would be filed, but Ceccaldi said the lawsuit would target NATO executive bodies and leaders of the alliance’s member states.

In June, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Kadafi, his son and onetime heir apparent Seif Islam Kadafi, and Abdullah Sanoussi, the regime's former security chief, for murder and other crimes against humanity allegedly committed during the regime's crackdown on protesters this year.

Somehow, the death of Khadafi under suspect conditions while in the custody of rebel forces makes NATO liable?

It was not foreseeable that the NATO airstrike would lead to the rebels executing Khadafi in cold blood. After all, they pulled him from the culvert wounded but alive. But for the actions of someone in that crowd executing him in cold blood, Khadafi may well have survived had he received treatment.

That isn't on NATO. That's on the individual rebel group that captured him. But for family members, they want to go after NATO, which they blame for the fall of the regime that kept the family living in relative luxury.

This case also shows just how perverse the notion of international justice is. If this group submits to ICC jurisdiction, how about holding the relatives liable for Khadafi's war crimes - and they were more involved in the daily affairs of the regime than NATO was in Khadafi's death. Do Khadafi's relatives really want to go down this path? After all, Khadafi's relatives profited from 40+ years of Mumar's rule, benefited from the use of violence to quell dissent within the country, became enriched from the wealth of natural resources stolen from the people, and knew, or had reason to know of the use of deadly force to stop the protests. They did nothing to stop Khadafi's use of force to stop the protests.

Family members were enablers and championed Khadafi, even though it extended the misery of the Libyan people.

Opposition Renews Protests In Syria; 13 Killed By Assad's Goons

In the wake of the death of Libyan despot Mumar Khadafi, Syrians have renewed calls for the removal of Bashar al Assad. Assad's security forces would not tolerate protests, and have once again murdered the protesters. 13 more people were added to the butcher's bill.

Homs, the city of one million has been scene of extensive military operations to suppress regular protests and a nascent armed insurgency that has emerged after a relentless crackdown on persistent demonstrations calling for more political freedoms.

"Gaddafi is finished. It is your turn now Bashar!" shouted demonstrators in the town of Maaret al-Numaan in the northwestern province of Idlib, according to one witness.

"Prepare yourself Assad!" chanted protesters in the town of Tayyana in the tribal province of Deir al-Zor, on the border with Iraq's Sunni Muslim heartland.

Assad, an ophthalmologist who inherited power from his late father in 2000, strengthened ties with Gaddafi months before the Arab Spring wave of popular unrest against repressive ruling elites erupted in Tunisia in December.

The two countries struck a series of cooperation deals and Assad later allowing a Syrian-based satellite station to broadcast messages from Gaddafi while he was on the run. He was killed in unclear circumstances after his capture on Thursday.

In the town of Houla northwest of Homs, a crowd of several thousands held shoulders and waved old Syrian flags dating to before Assad's Baath party took power in a coup 48 years ago.

"Doctor, you are next!" read banners carried by the villagers, according to live video footage.

Demonstrations also broke out in Homs, the provincial capital 140 km (85 miles) north of Damascus, where three members of same family were also shot dead at an army road block in Bab Sbaa district on their way to prayers, local activists said.

With the NATO operations winding down in Libya in support of the Libyan Transitional Council efforts to wrest control of the country from Khadafi and his loyalists, they may now be more attuned to the plight of the Syrian opposition. The Syrian opposition has grown more cohesive and formed an actual council akin to the Libyan effort. That is key to generating support among international diplomats and leveraging defectors among the Syrian elites to encourage NATO to consider action.

There are key differences though. For starters, Assad has largely kept his attacks against protesters to ground operations and he has significant support from terror groups like Hizbullah and Hamas, both of which have major operations and key leaders encamped in Damascus. More importantly, Assad has the support of Iran, which backs his regime and is likely to counter any Western efforts in a much more direct manner.

So, for now, the Syrian opposition has an uphill battle to counter Assad's built-in advantages.

Former Libyan Thug Mumar Khadafi Captured; Libyan Officials Say Killed in Airstrike

Reports are all over the map, but former Libyan dictator Mumar Khadafi has been captured by the Libyan rebels while others say that he died in custody after suffering serious injuries.

It wouldn't be the first time that there has been wild rumors about the capture or death of a Khadafi or that early reports turned out to be mistaken. Yet, these reports seem to be getting confirmation from higher level officials. There's still no official word from the US State Department confirming Khadafi's capture or death, but these must be dark times for Khadafi's followers. AFP has a photo showing a bloodied Khadafi in custody.

The military official, Abdel Majid Mlegta, had told Reuters earlier that Gadhafi was captured and wounded in both legs at dawn on Thursday as he tried to flee in a convoy which NATO warplanes had attacked.

"He was also hit in his head," said Mlegta. "There was a lot of firing against his group and he died."

Asked if there was photographic evidence to prove that Gadhafi was dead, Mlegta said: "We have the footage but it is not available now."

However, the AFP news agency provided a photograph that appeared to show a wounded or dead Gadhafi. The image has not been independently verified.

Information Minister Mahmoud Shammam told the AP that he had confirmed that Gadhafi was dead from fighters that said they saw the body.

Khadafi's hometown Sirte has been overrun by the rebels, who have become the officially recognized government by world leaders. The Khadafi loyalists are on the run and continue to lose ground to the new Libyan National Transitional Council government. Khadafi was hit when his convoy was attacked by NATO aircraft.

While Khadafi's death would be a great relief to many Libyans, it is possible that the new government may face an ongoing period of insurgency by Khadafi loyalists who would seek retribution against the new government for being ousted from power.

Khadafi had long declared that he would never surrender and that appears to be the case.

UPDATE:

Yes, it would appear that Khadafi has been captured, but no official word that he was killed (at least from the State Department). The photo of a bloodied Khadafi and the look on his face is one that suggests disbelief and perhaps the realization that his end was near.

It didn't have to be that way. Khadafi could have taken the golden parachute to despot exile, but instead chose to fight it out to stay in power. Now? He's got nothing except a spot in a box (whether it's a coffin or a holding cell is still yet to be known though I think he's due for a coffin fitting about now).

UPDATE:
Who takes credit for the end of the Khadafi regime? First and foremost, it's the Libyan people. They were the ones who rose up against a despot who ruled with an iron fist for 42 years. They were the ones risking everything for a chance at a better tomorrow.

NATO helped, but it was the Libyan people who shed the blood and who died for their freedom. The President gets credit for authorizing US and NATO actions to support the Libyan rebels once they organized and became a credible entity to work with against Khadafi.

Anything else would be a misreading of history and the facts.

UPDATE:
Khadafi was shot while trying to flee a house - not an airstrike as initially reported. One of his sons also killed:

Gadhafi's son, Mutassim, and his chief of intelligence, Abdullah al-Senussi, have been killed, according to Anees al-Sharif, spokesman for AbdelHakim Belhajj of the Tripoli military council.

This report comes on the day that Moammar Gadhafi has been killed.

[Update 10:36 a.m. ET] Former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has been killed, interim Libyan Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril told reporters in Tripoli Thursday.

UPDATE:
Video shows that Khadafi was alive when he was captured.

Members of Khadafi's Family Fled To Algeria; Mumar MIA

While no one seems to know where Mumar Khadafi has gone, his wife and several of his children have fled to Algeria.

The report cited Algeria's Foreign Affairs Ministry as saying the family entered the neighboring country on Monday. It did not immediately provide additional details or say whether Qaddafi himself was with the family.

The report came as battles raged on two sides of Sirte, the southern city that is the headquarters of Qaddafi's tribe and his regime's last major bastion. The rebels were consolidating control of Tripoli, the capital.

Despite effectively ending his rule, the rebels have yet to find Qaddafi or his family members -- something that has cast a pall of lingering uncertainty over the opposition's victory.

The Egyptian news agency MENA, quoting unidentified rebel fighters, had reported from Tripoli over the weekend that six armored Mercedes sedans, possibly carrying Qaddafi's sons or other top regime figures, had crossed the border at the southwestern Libyan town of Ghadamis into Algeria. Algeria's Foreign Ministry had denied that report.

Ahmed Jibril, an aid to rebel National Transitional Council head Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, said if the report of Qaddafi relatives in Algeria is true, "we will demand that Algerian authorities hand them over to Libya to be tried before Libyan courts."

The Hunt For Khadafi Goes On

Despite being ousted from power in Libya, Mumar Khadafi continues to hold sway and thinks that he can regain power.

Maybe.

Maybe he went off to Zimbabwe to stay with another thug, Robert Mugabe. It certainly seems plausible:

Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has fled Libya to Zimbabwe on a jet provided by Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, it was claimed today, as rebels began the march on his home town.

President Mugabe's political opponents claim their spies saw Gaddafi arrive in the country on a Zimbabwe Air Force jet in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

They say the Libyan dictator was taken to a mansion in Harare's Gunninghill suburb, where agents from his all-female bodyguard were apparently seen patrolling the grounds.

Zimbabwean officials have tossed out Libyan diplomats who defected from Khadafi to join the NTC (National Transitional Council). Zimbabwe also isn't a signatory to the ICC, which means that Khadafi wouldn't face extradition to face war crimes charges.

The Hunt For Khadafi Continues

The hunt for Mumar Khadafi continues, and there are numerous reports indicating that rebel groups just missed capturing him at a safe house in Tripoli.

Libyan commandos fighting Muammar Gaddafi came close to capturing the toppled leader on Wednesday when they raided a private home in Tripoli where he appeared to have been hiding, Paris Match magazine said on Thursday.

Citing a source in a unit which it said was coordinating among intelligence services from Arab states and Libyan rebels, the French weekly said on its website that these services believed Gaddafi was still somewhere in the Libyan capital.

Gaddafi was gone from the unassuming safe house in central Tripoli when agents arrived about 10 a.m. (4 a.m. EDT) on Wednesday after a tip-off from a credible source. But, the magazine said, they found evidence that he had spent at least one night there -- though it did not say how recently that was.

CNN is reporting that the rebels think that he may be holed up in a cluster of buildings near his Tripoli compound that fell to rebels earlier in the week. I'm not so sure.

While some people might think to track down his all-girl bodyguard brigade, I think rebels will likely look for him in and around his hometown of Sirte.

Regardless of Khadafi's whereabouts, Tripoli is not fully in rebel hands, and there are pockets of resistance elsewhere in the country even as rebels celebrate their new-found freedom:


The head of the Libyan rebels is calling on international assistance to help stabilize the country, including releasing funds frozen by Western countries as a means of pressuring Khadafi to step aside:

Mahmoud Jibril spoke after meeting Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who said Rome had begun unfreezing 350 million euros ($504.3 million) of Libyan funds in Italian banks to help the rebel movement govern Libya.

Berlusconi said the unfreezing marked a first step in a broader effort to unblock all of the North African country's assets in Italy, the former colonial power.

Italy, once Libya's closest ally in the West, froze around $8 billion of Libyan assets as part of sanctions against Muammar Gaddafi, whose 42 years in power appeared at an end this week.

"The biggest destabilising element would be the failure of the (rebel) National Transitional Council to deliver the necessary services and pay the salaries of the people who have not been paid for months," Jibril told a news conference in Milan. "Our priorities cannot be carried out by the government without having the necessary money immediately."

The Hunt For Khadafi Continues As Fighting Continues In Libya

The hunt for Mumar Khadafi continues. Mumar Khadafi was nowhere to be seen in the capital of Tripoli or in his overrun compound, but he apparently issued an audio recording calling on his supporters to fight to the bitter end. He also vowed to fight to victory or death. Rebels ransacked Khadafi's compound, which included all kinds of valuables, including some of the uniforms and costumes Khadafi wore in public, statues to himself, and other assorted items.



I think the Libyans will oblige him on the latter bit. Khadafi's now incapable of winning; his forces were routed from key areas around the country and his area of operations keeps shrinking. It's wishful thinking for the loyalists to think they can stem the tide of history.

Khadafi can't be seen out in the public and his son Saif could only show himself during a few minutes during the overnight to repute claims he had been captured by rebel forces.

None of this means that the country is safe by any stretch. Journalists holed up in the Rixos hotel are effectively prisoners to Khadafi's loyalists; they aren't allowed to leave, which means that the few journalists who opted not to stay in the hotel are going to get the scoops of a lifetime. The fighting continues as pockets of resistance are dealt with by the rebel forces, and artillery and gunfire continues to ricochet around the capital.

The concern is that like Saddam Hussein, did Khadafi plot the disappearance of his key forces so as to carry on an insurgency against the rebel groups.

With Gaddafi and son Saif al-Islam still nowhere to be found, it is likely that the family slipped out of the capital at the last moment, along with their die-hard supporters, according to one Libyan who has had contact with regime supporters during the conflict. He says he was told last month by tribal officials allied to Gaddafi that they had been carefully crafting a retreat, as the regime increasingly became aware that it was unlikely to survive. "It is obvious that everything is ready for them," says Noman Benotman, former head of an armed militant Libyan group who is now senior analyst for the London think tank Quilliam. "The way he evacuated Tripoli was all part of the plan." (See pictures of the lengthy battle for Libya.)

In a crackling audio address from his hideout in the early hours of Wednesday, Gaddafi said he had made a "tactical retreat" from Tripoli. Of the rebel fighters, he said: "They are evil incarnate. We should fight them." His words were broadcast on a new pro-Gaddafi web-television channel seemingly designed to replace the national propaganda network the leader has just lost. The address was widely dismissed by Libyans as the desperate words of a defeated tyrant. But they might hold some other meaning, according to Benotman. He claims to have met officials last month from a "very significant, large tribe" supportive of the regime, who told him that they had made a "pact" to support the regime's holdouts if Gaddafi's rule collapsed — even if the Colonel himself was captured or killed. Benotman believes that Gaddafi might have retreated to Al-Jufra, a military base south of the leader's hometown of Sirte, and that Saif al-Islam likely slipped out of Tripoli early Tuesday, shortly after dropping by the Rixos Hotel, where about 35 foreign journalists have been besieged since last weekend.

UPDATE:
Rebels have placed a bounty on Khadafi, dead or alive.

While Khadafi purportedly claims to still be inside Tripoli somewhere, I think he's slipped out of the city and moved towards Sirte, which is his hometown. I just can't picture him leading this fight from the front and he's much more likely to be caught wearing a burkha or costume to avoid being captured than wearing a military uniform.

UPDATE:
The number of regimes and countries still considering Khadafi (or Gathafi as his passport apparently shows) is shrinking. Burkina Faso and Chad, two nations which received large amounts of aid from Libya under Col Gaddafi, have now joined the list of more than 40 countries recognising the rebels' NTC as Libya's legitimate authority. Burkina Faso says it will offer Col Gaddafi exile if he requests it. From what Khadafi has been saying, I doubt Burkina Faso will have to worry about putting him up. The BBC also reports that there are more defections.

Not among those who have distanced themselves - [T]hugo Chavez of Venezuela.

Rebels Continue Fight in Tripoli As Khadafi's Whereabouts Remain Mystery

Despite reports yesterday claiming that several of Mumar Khadafi's sons were taken into custody by rebel forces in and around Tripoli, it turns out that it wasn't the case. Saif al-Islam made a pretty dramatic entrance and posed for photos among his supporters inside Tripoli.



Chalk that up to the fog of war and overly optimistic reporting/announcements from the rebels. However, the BBC live-blog is reporting that rebel spokesman Hany Hassan Soufrakis relates that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was actually captured but somehow managed to escape from the rebels: "He was captured and apparently he escaped; that's the information we're getting. To be honest, it's an embarrassment," he told the BBC World Service.

Heavy fighting is reported in the vicinity of the Khadafi compound. That follows reports of heavy gunfire reported elsewhere in Tripoli.

It was not clear whether the recent rebel gains were the beginnings of a decisive victory or, rather, the start of potentially prolonged street fighting for control of the capital. NATO officials in Brussels and London said the alliance’s warplanes were flying reconnaissance and other missions over Libya but declined to say whether the planes had bombed the fortified Qaddafi compound in Tripoli.

“Our mission is not over yet,” said Col. Roland Lavoie, a NATO spokesman, at a news conference in Naples, Italy, urging pro-Qaddafi forces to return to their barracks. “Until this is the case we will carry on with our mission.” Asked if the alliance knew where Colonel Qaddafi was, he said: “We don’t know. I don’t have a clue.”

“The situation in Tripoli is still very serious and very dangerous,” Colonel Lavoie said.

He acknowledged that the urban environment in Tripoli, a city of some two million, was “far more complex” for airstrikes, but said the alliance had precision weapons at its disposal to enforce its United Nations Security Council mandate, which is to protect civilians from attack.

NATO will continue its mission in Libya, despite the gains reported by the rebel forces and their consolidation of gains in and around Tripoli.

The thing is that no one knows where Mumar Khadafi is, and the state television network has finally gone off the air. Typically, state-run television broadcasts reports sympathetic to the regimes in power, so this is a positive development for the rebel forces.

Hours after the Jamahiriya (State of the Masses) channel had broadcast increasingly desperate pleas from Muammar Gaddafi, TV screens airing the station suddenly turned black. Minutes later the network's logo appeared at the bottom right of the screen, but without any picture or sound.

A spokesman for the rebel alliance claimed control of the media group's headquarters: ''The revolutionaries stormed the television building … after killing the soldiers surrounding it. It is now under their control.''
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Rebel forces also claimed to have detained Hala Misrati, the Libyan state TV anchor who famously vowed to die a martyr for Colonel Gaddafi while waving a gun on air on Sunday.

UPDATE:
Via BBC's Live Blog:

Outside the capital, rebels have been telling AFP that they are pushing towards the oil hub of Ras Lanouf, on the road towards Col Gaddafi's hometown, Sirte. They hope to be in Ras Lanouf by tonight.

Since no one knows where Khadafi's gone, it is possible that he returned to his hometown where he may be able to rely on his connections to sustain the fight for just a while longer (further extending the bloodshed).

That Saif apparently escaped isn't a good sign for the rebels, but his appearance in the dark of night doesn't exactly inspire confidence in what's left of the Khadafi regime either - they can't go out in the open and are on the run.

UPDATE:
Looks like Khadafi's Tripoli compound has been overrun, and rebels are displaying documents from within the compound.

Rebels have hoisted their flag over Col Gaddafi's home in the Bab al-Aziziya compound, rebel TV reports.

Andy Carvin tweets: Even if opposition gets into compound and Gaddafi is there, there's a huge network of tunnels under the city. Could become cat and mouse.

UPDATE:
Libyan kids playing atop a tank belonging to Khadafi's formerly elite military unit:

Libyan rebels inside the Khadafi compound (HT: Killgore Trout):


Still, no one knows where Mumar Khadafi has gone. I think he's gone back to his home town of Sirte, even as his loyalists have reportedly flocked to Tripoli to attempt to thwart the rebel groups. Meanwhile, the rebels appear to be consolidating their gains although the loyalists have again fired Scud missiles towards Misrata.

The End Nears For Khadafi's Reign in Libya

With astonishing speed after months of fighting to a stalemate, it appears that rebel groups have taken vast portions of the Libyan capital of Tripoli and Mumar Khadafi is nowhere to be found. Reports indicate that his sons have been taken into custody. Battles rage around Khadafi's compound, and the death toll appears to be over 1,300 in recent days as the sides fight towards a bitter conclusion.

Dictators always believe that they're in control, up until the moment they're not. They never quite realize that their perch in power is precarious; someone could sell them out (coup d'etat), they could buy the farm in an airstrike or bombing, or any number of other events that are beyond their control. Khadafi has resisted calls for a peaceful transfer of power, or finding a safe haven in exile.



Instead of stepping down of his own accord and retiring to a peaceful compound surrounded by his female Praetorian guard in some cozy secluded island retreat, he decided to slug it out with anyone and everyone because his ego really is that big. Thousands died because he sought to maintain a firm grip on power, instead of relenting to the people who had finally had enough of Khadafi's reign after coming to power in a coup d'etat 42 years ago.

So now, Khadafi may find out what it's like to be strung up from a lamppost, or tried before a court for all of his crimes against the Libyan people, or may end up getting caught in a rat hole like another rabid dog.

You see, dictators never think it's going to happen to them. It's always going to be the other dumb dictator who doesn't quite play by the Dictator's playbook.

And that should be a lesson to Bashar Assad, but Assad is already claiming that this would never happen to him. Assad has already issued statements showing that he has no fear that such a civil war or revolution could happen to him. Here's hoping that he's sorely mistaken in that conviction.

What does this mean for the rest of the world? Well, some people think that this may lead to a reduction in oil prices as the reliable supply of oil can increase due to the end of another conflict in an oil-rich region. It would probably take some time before the oil flows smoothly from Libya, but expect to see downward pressure on oil prices in the coming days as the situation in Libya sorts itself out:


Sky News reporters managed to scoop the international press by embedding with rebel groups as they advanced on Tripoli as the rest of the press was stuck in one of the hotels surrounded by government troops.

The Noose Tightens Around Khadafi

We might be witnessing the beginning of the end of Mumar Khadafi's 40 year reign in Libya. Rebel forces have claimed to have entered Tripoli and Khadafi has not been seen in public in several weeks although he has issued two audio recordings in the past week exhorting his followers to defeat the rebels:

For the first time in months, witnesses in Tripoli reported heavy fighting across the capital late Saturday night, even as rebel forces claimed to have encircled the city by taking major towns to its east, west and south.

Rebel leaders in Tunis and eastern Libya hailed the beginning of a new uprising in the capital against Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s rule. And after months of rebel offenses that crumbled or stalled despite heavy support from a NATO airstrike campaign, it was the first time since the uprising began in February that the rebels threatened Colonel Qaddafi’s ultimate stronghold.

“We are coordinating the attacks inside, and our forces from outside are ready to enter Tripoli,” said Anwar Fekini, a rebel leader from the mountainous region in western Libya, speaking by telephone from Tunis. “If you can call any mobile number in Tripoli, you will hear in the background the beautiful sound of the bullets of freedom.”

Phone calls to several Tripoli residents from different neighborhoods confirmed widespread gunfire and explosions. And there were reports of frequent NATO jet overflights and airstrikes — a common accompaniment to the drumbeat of the rebel advance in the past week.

But in an audio message broadcast on state television, his second in a week, Colonel Qaddafi rejected claims of rebel gains, saying his forces had beaten back the Tripoli uprising within hours and announcing military successes in the same cities rebels had claimed to seize on Saturday. He gave the date and time several times to confirm that he was speaking as events were unfolding.

UPDATE:
Khadafi's compound may have been breached, but there's no way to know whether he's still in the city, or has been there for any time in the past couple of weeks. One of the major worries is that he fled for the mountains and will attempt to fight a guerrilla campaign. That's even with Khadafi claiming that he'll stay in Tripoli to the last.

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi said Sunday he will stay in Tripoli "until the end" and called on his supporters around the country to help liberate the capital from a rebel offensive.

He said in an audio message played over state television he was "afraid that Tripoli will burn" and he said he would provide weapons to supporters to fight off the rebels.

Earlier, Libyan rebels captured a major military base that defends Gadhafi's stronghold of Tripoli as clashes and protests raged in the streets of the capital on Sunday.

An Associated Press reporter with the rebels rapidly advancing toward Tripoli saw them take over the base of the Khamis Brigade, 16 miles west of the capital. After a brief gunbattle, Gadhafi's forces fled.

If it's turning into a rout in Tripoli, the rebels will likely claim victory over Khadafi's regime despite Khadafi's protestations to the contrary (and on that front, Khadafi may rival Baghdad Bob on handling the truth).

UPDATE:
The end may have come even quicker than anyone could have imagined. There are reports that Khadafi's son has been captured by rebel groups, and there are even reports that Khadafi himself has been shot and killed, or has otherwise fled to Algeria.

West Declares Libyan Opposition Legitimate Government; Other Opposition Movements Take Note

The US and other Western countries have declared that the regime of Mumar Khadafi is no longer legitimate and has recognize the opposition movement as the legitimate government of Libya.

More than 30 nations, including the United States, on Friday declared that Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's regime is no longer legitimate and formally recognized Libya's main opposition group as the country's government.

In a final statement following a meeting of the so-called Contact Group on Libya, the nations said: The "Gadhafi regime no longer has any legitimate authority in Libya," and Gadhafi and certain members of his family must go.

The group said it would deal with Libya's main opposition group — the National Transitional Council, or TNC — as "the legitimate governing authority in Libya" until an interim authority is in place.

This action has repercussions far beyond Libya; it should be studied closely by opposition movements in Syria; both countries are in the midst of a massive crackdown by their respective autocratic despotic regimes but the world has essentially ignored the plight of the Syrian opposition while the Libyan opposition has coalesced into a coherent group that is now recognized as a legitimate government of the country.

Syrians need to take similar actions, and hope that its country's foreign diplomats defect and otherwise distance themselves from Assad's brutal regime so as to give the opposition a chance to stand up against the ongoing crackdown. Assad has been successful in cracking down against opposition groups so that they can't make the kind of gains that the TNC has seen in Libya, but hasn't successfully quashed the protests (the death toll keeps rising as protesters are killed on a daily basis with no sign of any letup).

The biggest rallies on Friday occurred in cities that have tested the government’s ability to impose its authority: Homs and Hama in central Syria and Deir al-Zour in the poor, drought-stricken northeast. Protesters also gathered in Dara’a, the southern town where the uprising began, suggesting that a fierce military crackdown in April has not broken the opposition movement there.

“Dara’a is still under siege,” said Anwar Farres, an activist in the town. “Nothing has changed. They’re still sending more and more security forces here.”

Omar Idlibi, a spokesman for the Local Coordination Committees, which has sought to document and organize the protests, said one person was killed in Dara’a on Friday and another in Homs. Three people were killed in the restive northwestern province of Idlib, where the military has carried out campaigns against what it calls Islamist insurgents.

The protesters in Hama, Syria’s fourth-largest city, numbered in the tens of thousands for a third straight week. Even larger crowds turned out in Deir al-Zour, knit by deep clan loyalties, and in Qaboun, which is emerging as a flash point on the outskirts of Damascus. Demonstrations in Homs have also proven resilient.

“Leave, Bashar,” the crowds in Homs chanted, according to an activist there. “No to dialogue!”

In a predominantly Kurdish area of the country, protesters unfurled a Syrian flag emblazoned with “Azadi,” the Kurdish word for freedom.

Four months into the uprising, some activists have spoken of a stalemate, as the government trumpets tentative and ambiguous steps toward reform while a fractious and immature opposition struggles to provide some kind of alternative. Meetings of opposition figures are scheduled to take place on Saturday inside Syria and in neighboring Turkey, but divisions have threatened to derail the meetings. Though the government allowed a rare opposition meeting last month, some fear that security forces may now seek to prevent one from convening in Damascus.

“I am pessimistic,” said Muntaha al-Atrash, a member of Sawasiyah, a human rights group in Damascus. “I feel like it’s going to be a long, long journey.”

“This regime won’t easily submit to people’s demands,” she added.

Assad is not going to give up his grip on power - power that has been in his family's hands since his father rose to power more than 40 years ago.

International Criminal Court Issues Arrest Warrant For Mumar Khadafi

The International Criminal Court has handed down an arrest warrant for Libyan dictator Mumar Khadafi for crimes against humanity based on his brutal crackdown and ongoing fight against opposition groups in Libya. Also, warrants were issued for his son and another high ranking security official:

Judges at the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on Monday for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and two of his most trusted lieutenants on war crimes charges.

The decision came after ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo had asked for arrest warrants for Mr. Gadhafi, his son Seif al-Islam and the head of Libyan intelligence, Abdullah al-Senussi.

Moreno-Ocampo says Gadhafi and his government carried out attacks against demonstrators, and ordered snipers to fire on civilians leaving mosques during the crackdown against rebels seeking Gadhafi's ouster.

Meanwhile, witnesses in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, say they have heard two loud explosions and could see smoke rising from the area near Gadhafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound Monday.

What's interesting is that the arrest warrants against Khadafi and his minions could easily be duplicated and issued against Syria's Bashar al Assad and his top thugs since they too are engaging in essentially the same exact crimes against humanity in Assad's ongoing brutal crackdown against protesters. The key difference is that NATO and the UN have not acted to thwart Assad, while the UN and NATO have launched military operations to prevent Khadafi from reasserting power across all of Libya.

African Union members continue expressing concern over the situation in Libya and that Khadafi has no role in the future of the country; the AU calls on both Khadafi and the transitional government to agree to an immediate cessation of military operations:

Hosni Mubarak To Stand Trial Over Protester Deaths

This is going to serve as a warning to other dictators and despots and autocrats who have ruled Middle Eastern and North African countries with an iron fist for decades on end without the slightest care about political, religious, or economic freedom.

Hosni Mubarak will stand trial over the deaths of protesters.

Egypt's ex-President Hosni Mubarak will stand trial on charges of conspiring in the deadly shootings of protesters during the uprising that ousted him, the prosector-general said Tuesday.

The 83-year-old leader, his two sons and a close business associate also have been charged with abusing their power to amass wealth, the prosecutor-general's office said in a statement. A trial date has not yet been set.

The referral to trial is a key demand of many Egyptians who have rallied to insist that Mubarak and his aides face justice.

Mubarak stepped down on Feb. 11 and transferred power to the military after an 18-day popular uprising. At least 846 protesters were killed, according to a government fact-finding mission.

Since Mubarak's regime fell to the inspired protests, other regimes have come under intense pressure to step down, including in Syria and Libya. In those cases, Bashar al Assad and Mumar Khadafi are using brutal force to quell the protests and the situation in Libya got to the point where NATO has intervened on behalf of the protests and opposition groups that have effectively seized control over large parts of the country. Assad maintains an iron grip in Syria although his regime continues using deadly force at every opportunity to remain in power.

Syria's Assad Continues Brutal Crackdown To Remain in Power; World Fails To Muster To Action

Despite reports of a supposedly tense calm in much of Syria, Bashar al Assad's security forces continue bombarding those it has deemed to be the enemies of the regime - the opposition who has demanded reforms in how the government functions and operates.

In what has emerged as one of the most brutal waves of repression since the Arab Spring began, the Syrian military shelled Homs, the country’s third-largest city, from tanks on Wednesday, forcing hundreds to flee and detaining hundreds more.

The military said on Thursday that it had ended what it called military operations in Homs, and residents reported that 10 tanks had withdrawn from the hardest-hit neighborhood, Bab Amr. After a day of shelling and gunfire, and sporadic shots heard before dawn, the area was relatively quiet, a resident there, Abu Haydar, said by telephone.

“Most of the people have left Bab Amr,” he said. “It’s too dangerous.”

In Baniyas, a city on the coast that was besieged this week, a tense calm persisted. A resident, Abu Obada, said by phone that security forces had urged residents to reopen their shops, but that many were reluctant. Schools and government offices remained closed, he said. In a nearby town, Bayda, residents were asked to sign pledges promising not to take part in protests, which have gathered across the country on successive Fridays.

“Some of them signed,” he said. “Others were too scared to go and sign.”

So far, the military has entered in force three large towns — Homs, Baniyas and Dara’a — with other assaults reported on towns near Dara’a and in the countryside around Baniyas.

It isn't so much as a calm, as the calm before the next storm tomorrow as Assad's security thugs prepare for the oncoming onslaught against the opposition protesters. They're gearing up for still more protests and demonstrations tomorrow.

Meanwhile, a Canadian journalist who went missing in Syria may have been sent to Iran. Journalists have been repeatedly targeted by security forces all throughout those countries affected by the popular uprisings - lest the facts and circumstances of the crackdowns become public knowledge. In this case, the Syrians claim that the journalist attempted to enter using an Iranian passport, but the Iranians claim no knowledge of the journalist's whereabouts.

In a statement, the Syrian embassy in Washington said Ms. Parvaz “attempted to illegally enter” the country using an expired Iranian passport and on false claims that she was a tourist.

Syria said it extradited her on May 1 “in accordance with international law to the passport-issuing country.” The Iranian consul, it added, escorted her to Caspian Airlines Flight 7905 bound for Tehran.

Al-Jazeera reported that Iran’s Foreign Minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, told the network on May 2 that he had no knowledge of the reporter’s whereabouts and urged Syria to look into the case.

The news of her deportation, made public on Wednesday, has left Ms. Parvaz’s family confused, her fiancé, Todd Barker, said.

All the while, protests continue in major Syrian cities, including Aleppo and Hama. Videos from Aleppo show that the Syrian security forces, dressed in plainsclothes, arrested and dragged away protesters to disperse the crowds.

All while the world continues to intervene on behalf of the Libyan people and the rebel groups that have joined together to oppose Mumar Khadafi, thus far there has been no inclination on the part of the UN or Arab League or individual countries to act on behalf of the Syrian people to thwart Assad's military operations against the protesters. Thus far, only harshly worded statements can be mustered against Assad, and that's not saying much. China has come out against military action against Assad, even as the Syrian regime's body count from the latest crackdown is likely to exceed that of Khadafi's.

Protesters Again Demonstrate In Syria

Protesters have again taken to the streets to protest against the regime of Bashar al-Assad, primarily after the Friday prayers. Protests were not confined to Daraa, but there are indications of protests in multiple cities.




There are reports of casualties in skirmishes between Assad's goons and the protesters. Three people were reportedly killed in the latest violent crackdown against opponents to the regime.

At least three people reportedly were killed in Douma, a suburb of Damascus, Reuters says, citing witnesses. AFP news agency, also citing witnesses, said at least four people were killed and dozens of others wounded after security forces fired on protesters in Douma.

Earlier posting: Protests broke out in three Syrian cities after prayers today, two days after President Bashar Assad sought to quell unrest that has rocked the country for two weeks.

Al-Jazeera TV reports that thousands of protesters turned out in the southern city of Daraa, where 61 people were killed last week by security forces, and around the capital of Damascus, as well as several other towns.

Reuters, quoting opposition activists, reports demonstrations in the Damascus suburb of Douma and in the coastal cities of Latakia and Banais.

Al-Jazeera and other media report that the government is using tear gas, water cannon and people in plainclothes armed with sticks to try to subdue the protesters.

Syria's Muslim Brotherhood, which took it on the chin nearly 30 years ago in Hama, says that while they support Western intervention in Libya to stop Khadafi, they see no need for a similar intervention in Syria. Then again, there's no one clamoring for a no-fly zone in Syria - not France, not the US, and not the UN, so for the moment, Assad is free to quell the protests as he sees fit.

The regime has released a Reuters reporter, but a photographer remains in custody.

Reuters correspondent Suleiman al-Khalidi was released by Syrian authorities Friday, three days after he was detained in Damascus.

A week after Syria expelled another Reuters foreign correspondent, Khalidi was set free to cross back into Jordan, where he is based, shortly after 4 p.m. (3 p.m. British time)

But Reuters had still had no contact with photographer Khaled al-Hariri, a Syrian based in Damascus, since he disappeared in the capital four days ago. He was last seen arriving at work Monday morning.

Syria's Assad Rearranges Deck Chairs While Trying To Quell Protests

Bashar al-Assad is no different than any other thug and dictator in the Middle East. He wants to stay in power despite growing home-grown opposition taking to the streets demanding political and social change.

So, what is a dictator to do under such circumstances? Well, for starters, Assad took his father's advice (the Hama rules) and started killing protesters. When that didn't exactly work out and the protests spread, he got his thugs to rally in support of his regime as he does the dictatorial 2-step by resigning his cabinet and shuffling the deck chairs.

With protests against his regime spreading, the show in Damascus is meant to divert attention from the protests and the real dissent against the regime. Assad figures that if he can show he's got support media attention will look elsewhere while he reasserts power and authority against those protesting.

Employees and members of unions controlled by Assad's Baath Party, which has been in power for nearly 50 years, said they had been ordered to attend the rallies, where there was a heavy presence of security police.
All gatherings and demonstrations are banned in Syria, other than those sponsored by the government.

It was expected that Assad would make announcements in the next 24 hours (well, 48 hours from yesterday), but no real change has been made to the emergency law that lets Assad do pretty much whatever he wants. Nor, has Assad actually gone on television to address the nation about whatever he intends to do next. That may suggest that there's some dissent within his inner circle, but that too may be a result of rearranging his cabinet to better suit what he prepares to do next.

Don't accept the fact that his cabinet resigned at face value. They were tossed under the bus precisely because they were expendable to Assad. They were fired.

And while the UN, US, and NATO are engaged in enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya because Khadafi was busy killing his own citizens to remain in power, there's no move to accord the protesters in Syria the same kind of protection. For the moment, France is urging Syria to reform.

Perhaps most hilariously, Syria still wants to gain a seat on the UN's Human Rights Council.

Libyan Civil War Continues Raging As French Recognize Rebels As Legitimate Government

The French have recognized the rebel groups as the legitimate government of Libya, displacing Mumar Khadafi. The French recognized the Libyan National Council as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people:

Moving ahead of its allies, France on Thursday became the first country to recognize Libya’s rebel leadership in the eastern city of Benghazi and said it would soon exchange ambassadors with the insurgents.

The move was a victory for the Libyan National Council in its quest for recognition and a setback for Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi who has been seeking whatever international support he can as NATO members in Brussels began a debate about the possible imposition of a no-flight zone over Libya.

The French announcement came as loyalist forces in Libya claimed new successes against the rebels west of the capital in the town of Zawiyah, while, to the east, loyalist forces renewed ferocious assaults on the key oil town of Ras Lanuf.

President Nicolas Sarkozy met in Paris on Thursday with Mahmoud Jibril and Ali Al-Esawi, representatives of the Libyan National Council that was set up after the uprising in Libya erupted in February. He was the first head of state to meet with insurgent leaders.

Part of the problem for various countries in dealing with the ongoing situation in Libya is who exactly is speaking for the rebel groups and their disparate interests that are united only in getting rid of Khadafi. With France moving ahead of the US or other NATO countries, the French are taking the situation to a different level and may pave the way for a no-fly zone to protect the gains made by the rebel groups. France is expected to announce further diplomatic moves in meetings with EU partners on Friday. Britain appears to be open to recognizing the Libyan National Council as well, and it's likely that the EU will follow France's lead. Once the EU acts, expect other countries to join with the French on recognizing the National Council to further alienate Khadafi.

Moreover, it could lead to the announcement of a secession by the Eastern portion of the country from Libya should the rebels be unable to gain territory up to and including the capital of Tripoli.

Khadafi, meanwhile, continues to use his considerable fortune to pay off his mercenaries and loyalists and flacks internationally but his loyalists also have no problem kidnapping and murdering those opposed to Khadafi. Hundreds, if not thousands, have disappeared and they have likely been murdered by the regime's backers.

Khadafi's loyalists have forced the rebels from Ras Lanuf, a major oil production city.



Those Khadafi loyalists also assaulted a BBC news team, and terrorized them with a mock execution:


UPDATE:
Khadafi's thugs captured two more journalists and it is clear that Khadafi's hoping to intimidate journalists into not covering the ongoing story in the country - and assaulting, kidnapping, and torturing journalists is part and parcel of Khadafi's attempts to hold on to power.

UPDATE:
French President Nicholas Sarkozy is even floating the idea of going well beyond a no-fly zone to actually carrying out aistrikes against Khadafi's forces.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy will propose air strikes on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's command headquarters to EU leaders, a source close to discussions has told AFP.

At an EU summit on the Libyan crisis, he will propose "striking an extremely limited number of points which are the source of the most deadly operations" by forces loyal to Gaddafi, the source, who asked not to be named, said on Thursday.

The three sites being considered are Gaddafi's Bab al-Azizia command headquarters in Tripoli, a military air base in Syrte, east of Tripoli and another in Sebha in the south, the source said.
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Sarkozy's office declined to confirm the claim when contacted by AFP.

Given the reluctance of the US to carry out even a no-fly zone, the idea of airstrikes isn't going to go over well with the US or NATO. The US would be at the forefront of any no-fly zone operation given its logistical capabilities and the lack of same among the European countries - particularly since the US could move a carrier task force into range to handle the operation.

Fighting Continues Throughout Libya As West Ponders Its Options

Fighting continues throughout Libya and neither the Khadafi loyalists or the rebel groups have been able to make much headway against the other.

Both sides are digging in for a prolonged conflict and despite the rebels being outgunned, they're continuing to more than hold their own. Khadafi's airstrikes have continued to inflict damage on the infrastructure and taken its toll on civilian populations.



Khadafi has warned that he would fight any attempt to impose a no-fly zone over Libya. The opposition continues calling for a no-fly zone, which would give the rebel groups an advantage over Khadafi's forces, who have used those airstrikes to fend off rebel advances. Snipers continue taking their toll on civilians in Zawiya.

Meanwhile, the tanks of pro-Gadhafi forces were closing in on the rebel-held main square of Zawiya Wednesday and their snipers were shooting at anything that moved, rebels and residents said.

Bodies lay unrecovered in the ruins of many buildings destroyed in air raids earlier in the week. There were few people in the streets of the center of the city of 200,000 and it was not possible to verify the reports independently.
Video: Gadhafi strikes force rebels to regroup

"We can see the tanks. The tanks are everywhere," a rebel fighter told Reuters by phone from inside Zawiya, which lies 30 miles west of Tripoli.

The fighter, named Ibrahim, said forces loyal to Gadhafi were in control of the main road and the suburbs of Zawiya, which in the past three days has become the focal point of a civil war on two fronts to oust the regime.

Libya Fighting Continues; Khadafi Hints at Exit Strategy?

Fighting continues throughout Libya and airstrikes continue to pound rebel positions. Yet, there is a report that Mumar Khadafi is mulling an exit strategy.

He's willing to leave, if sufficiently bribed to do so. He wants immunity from prosecution and a pile of cash (on top of whatever billions he's squandered in oil money over the four decades of misguided rule):

Gaddafi allegedly sent Jadallah Azzouz Talhi, a former prime minister, to meet the rebels to work out the fine print of a deal.

The offer proposed that the dictator would hand over power to a committee formed by the General People’s Congress.

A source close to the rebel council said he had heard that ‘one formula being proposed by the other side would see Gaddafi hand power to the head of parliament and leave the country with a certain guaranteed sum of money’.

He added: ‘I was told that this issue of money is a serious obstacle from the national council’s point of view.’

But Essam Gheriani, a media officer for the council, said: ‘No such offer has been put to the council as far as I am aware.’

Talhi, a leading member of the ruling establishment in the 1980s, had earlier appealed to rebel leaders for dialogue in the clearest sign yet that Gaddafi may be ready to compromise with opponents challenging his grip on power.

The fact state television screened Talhi’s appeal indicated it was officially endorsed.

But the council said there was no room for broad dialogue with Gaddafi and any talks must be on the basis that he quits.

Asked about Talhi’s address, rebel official Ahmed Jabreel said: ‘Talhi is a close acquaintance of mine and he is widely respected in Libya as a man who stood up to Gaddafi.

Other reports indicate that Khadafi wants out, but the rebel groups are refusing to make any deal that allows Khadafi to avoid justice.

According to the BBC:

#
1358: Libyan rebels have asked Col Gaddafi to "stop the aerial bombing and leave within 72 hours" in order to consider any deal, National Transitional Council leader Mustafa Abdul Jalil tells al-Jazeera. In return they guarantee that the leader would not be "legally pursued on the domestic front".

Khadafi's response has been to renew air attacks against Ras Lanuf. Khadafi clearly has no intention of leaving quietly.

With the airstrikes continuing, NATO is mulling its options, including a no-fly zone. A no-fly zone would give the rebel groups an advantage over their current situation, but politicians in Europe and the US are concerned about getting involved in such a fashion. Yet, despite the advantages offered by the airstrikes, the Khadafi loyalists are having a hard time advancing or holding on to territory. Indeed, the rebel groups, poorly trained and disciplined, are managing to hold their own against the Libyan regime.

Elsewhere, Al Jazeera released a video purporting to show men who were executed for refusing to fire on the rebels:

Libya Descends Into Civil War

Mumar Khadafi continues to try and put down the insurrection against his regime with force and the opposition has also used force to hold territories it has liberated from the regime in Tripoli. Khadafi's loyalists have resorted to airstrikes as its ground actions have not been wholly successful at thwarting the rebel groups from gaining and maintaining ground as the noose slowly begins to encircle the capital of Tripoli.

Airstrikes have forced the rebel groups to pull back from Ras Lanuf, which is a key oil depot, and significant casualties were reported.

The situation can be considered a civil war for intents and purposes, which is what I've been calling it for the past week as the rebel groups continue to hold much of the territory in the Eastern half of the country and Khadafi has a tenuous hold on the capital and its environs.



The rebel groups are attempting to rearm and sustain their efforts against Khadafi, and there have also been reports that Egyptians have crossed into Libya to aid the rebel groups.

There is fighting throughout the country, although the focus is along the coastal cities where the majority of the population is situated and which are key transit points.

There was heavy fighting in Zawiya, and the civilian population is getting hammered by the Khadafi loyalists, often with sniper fire:


Khadafi's forces continue holding three Dutch airmen, and rebel groups note that the military efforts by NATO countries to rescue their citizens can be used as propaganda that plays into Khadafi's hands by seizing it as evidence of a Western conspiracy to overthrow his regime.

A British special forces team (SAS) was released by opposition groups after being briefly detained.

Earlier, two sources close to the Libyan opposition told CNN that negotiations between senior British officials and senior opposition leaders in Libya were under way to secure the release of the eight British special forces troops.

The Sunday Times of London reported that the unit of "up to eight men" was being held after "a secret mission to put British diplomats in touch with leading opponents of Moammar Gadhafi ended in humiliation."

British Prime Minister David Cameron said last week his government wanted to contact the opposition to find out who they were and what they wanted.

The newspaper said opposition figures were angry about the "intervention" of special forces troops and "ordered the soldiers to be locked up on a military base."

In an interview with the BBC, British Defense Secretary Liam Fox -- in response to a question -- said there was no plan to use British land forces on the ground in Libya.

UPDATE:
The NY Times has a good feature showing the progress of fighting through the country, and notes that the rebel groups are closing in on Khadafi's home town of Surt. I would expect Khadafi to try and hold Surt at all costs, but Khadafi isn't just fighting the rebels, he's fighting reality.

He continues to claim that his countrymen love him and that the opposition isn't nearly as strong as they appear to be. His is a cult of personality that is going to come crashing down on him and his loyalists:

But accuracy and logic have never been the tenets of Colonel Qaddafi’s governing philosophy, and their absence is especially conspicuous now, as rebels pose the greatest challenge to his four decades of enigmatic rule.

Not a day passes in Tripoli without some improbable claim by Colonel Qaddafi or the top officials around him: there are no rebels or protesters in Libya; the people who are demonstrating have been drugged by Al Qaeda; no shots have been fired to suppress dissent. In an interview broadcast on Monday with the France 24 , Col. Qaddafi called his country a partner of the West in combating Al Qaeda, insisting that loyalist forces were confronting “small groupings” and “sleeper cells” of terrorists.

He put the death toll on both sides at “some hundreds,” disputing estimates that the tally ran to several thousand.

A segment of the Libyan population appears to admire his defiant promotion of his world view, and confusion and obfuscation help explain how he keeps his rivals off balance.

Foreign news organizations were reporting, based on firsthand observations, that rebel forces were under fire but remained in control of the eastern half of the country, as well as many pockets in the west. The government’s main victory over the weekend appeared to be driving the rebels from the town of Bin Jawwad, which they had taken Saturday night. And both sides continued to prepare for a decisive battle in the Qaddafi stronghold of Surt.

But many Tripoli residents seemed happy to ignore such reports on Sunday and chose to accept Colonel Qaddafi’s narrative — that his loyalists were at the gates of the rebels’ headquarters in the eastern city of Benghazi, or were in control of it already, or had captured the rebels’ top leader.

For more than four hours, Qaddafi supporters fired triumphant bursts of machine gun fire into the air from cars and among crowds in the downtown area. As many as 2,000 of them waved bright green flags and bandannas — and, in many cases, guns — as they rallied in Green Square, and several hundred of the pro-Qaddafi demonstrators were still at it at sunset.

Many of the people in Green Square lashed out at the Arabic news channels Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya, calling them liars that had confused and inflamed Libya’s young people. The crowd’s fist-pumping ardor was a testament to the strength of the mythology of epic heroism that Colonel Qaddafi has instilled since he seized power at the age of 27.

He did it in part by making sure that his was virtually the only voice in public life. News reports try not to refer to other top government officials, or even soccer players, by name, ensuring that Colonel Qaddafi is virtually the only public figure in Libya.