Libya's Gaddafi confirmed dead

Muammar Gaddafi
Late Libyan leader

Jubilant scenes in Benghazi and Tripoli

“For the region today, the rule of an iron fist has inevitably come to an end.” - Obama

Libya's Gaddafi confirmed dead

The toppled Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, has been killed near his hometown, Sirte by rebels.

The de facto Libyan Prime Minister, Mahmoud Jibril, confirmed the death of Gaddafi on Thursday while addressing reporters.

He said: "We have been waiting for this moment for a long time. Muammar Gaddafi has been killed.”

An NTC military chief, Abdul Hakim Belhaj, said Gaddafi had died of his wounds after being captured on Thursday.

An NTC official in the city of Misrata, Mohamed Abdel Kafi said that the body of the former Libyan leader was taken to a location which was being kept secret for security reasons.

"Gaddafi's body is with our unit in a car and we are taking the body to a secret place for security reasons," Mohamed Abdel Kafi said.

Earlier, Abdel Majid, another NTC official, said the toppled leader had been wounded in both legs.

The news came shortly after the NTC captured Sirte, Gaddafi's hometown, after weeks of fighting.

"Thank God they have caught this person. In one hour, Sirte was liberated," a fighter in the town said.

Amateur video of the dead former Libyan leader was released by media agencies in Libya, amid jubilant scenes in Benghazi and Tripoli, in celebration of Gaddafi’s death.

The UN secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, in a message on the death of Gaddafi said that the death marks the beginning of a new dawn in Libya.

He pointed out that the days ahead would be difficult and full of challenges.

Conflicting reports

In Tripoli, Jibril said he had received unconfirmed reports that Gaddafi's most prominent son, Saif al-Islam, was in a convoy fleeing Sirte.

Meanwhile, there were conflicting reports about the fate of one of his sons, Mutassim Gaddafi.

According to reports, one of the news agencies' sources in Libya had seen video of Mutassim lying on a bed and covered in blood, but alive.

The NTC's information minister, Mahmoud Shammam, said he had received reports that Mutassim had been captured alive in Sirte, but could not confirm the news.

However, an NTC commander, Mohamed Leith, told the AFP news agency that Mutassim had been killed.

"We found him dead. We put his body and that of former defence minister, Abu Bakr Younus, in an ambulance to take them to Misrata," Leith.

Footage had emerged earlier in the day of the body of Younus. 

Commander of the NTC's 11th brigade, Abdul Hakim Al Jalil, said that Moussa Ibrahim, former spokesman for Gaddafi's fallen government, had been captured near Sirte.

NATO and the US state department said they could not confirm any reports. 

ALJAZEERA/Williams