Libya denies report of Gaddafi's son death

Libya denies report of Gaddafi's son death

The government of Muammar Gaddafi has denied a rebel report that a NATO air strike had killed the Libyan leader's powerful son Khamis, commander of one of the government's most loyal and best-equipped units.

Government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said the report of Khamis Gaddafi's death was a ploy to cover up the killing of a civilian family in Zlitan, a battlefront city where Gaddafi forces are trying to halt the rebel advance on Tripoli.

"It's false news. This is a dirty trick to cover up their crime in Zlitan and the killing of the al-Marabit family. They invented the news about Mr Khamis Gaddafi in Zlitan to cover up their killing," he told reporters.

A rebel spokesman had said the air strike killed 32 Gaddafi loyalists in Zlitan, where Khamis Gaddafi's elite 32nd Brigade is believed to have been leading the stand to defend the approaches to Tripoli, 160 kilometres (100 miles) away.

"We have information that in Zlitan, a leadership building was attacked by NATO and 32 Gaddafi men were killed, among them his son, Khamis," the rebel spokesman said.

NATO was not able to confirm the report of Khamis Gaddafi's death. NATO said on Thursday that it had struck at a command-and-control target in the Zlitan area.

"We cannot confirm anything right now, because we don't have people on the ground," "But we are trying to find out what we can," an alliance official said.

Khamis Brigade and stronghold

Khamis’ death if confirmed, would be a severe blow to his father's campaign to resist a six-month-old uprising and remain in power.  

His brigade of around 10,000 men is described by analysts as Libya's most effective unit and a central part of the security apparatus.

In embassy cables released last year by WikiLeaks, a U.S. diplomat wrote: "the Khamis Brigade is considered the best equipped and most capable of defending the regime."

It was not the first time Khamis has been reported killed in the conflict: Arab media reported in March that he had died in a kamikaze crash by a disaffected Libyan air force pilot. Libyan state television showed footage at the time of a man resembling Khamis, which it said disproved reports of his death.

Khamis would be the second of Gaddafi's sons reported killed since the uprising against his 41-year rule began in February.
The government said earlier this year that a NATO strike in Tripoli had killed Saif al-Arab Gaddafi, who unlike Khamis did not have a high public profile or a major leadership role.

REUTERS/Susan/Williams