Events in Libya continue to develop at a rapid pace, with the rebels now reported to have entered Colonel Gaddafi’s house after breaking into his military compound at Bab al Aziziya. A gold statue of Gaddafi has been toppled (you can see a screengrab of the rebels stamping on the statue’s head here) and the rebels are climbing over his famous sculpture of a fist crushing a US fighter jet. Iconoclasm has rarely looked more satisfying.
The whereabouts of Gaddafi himself are still unknown, although he is thought to be inside the compound. Earlier this afternoon, the Russian chess federation chief Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, who visited Gaddafi in June, said he spoke to to the Libyan leader by phone today. He told Reuters that Gaddafi’s eldest son Mohammad called him and “gave the phone to his father, who said that he is in Tripoli, he is alive and healthy and is prepared to fight to the end.”
It’s worth noting that Nato Colonel Roland Lavoie played down the importance of capturing Gaddafi at a press conference in Naples earlier today. He said:
If you know, let me know. I don’t have a clue. I’m not sure it really does matter. The resolution of this situation will be political. Everyone recognises that Gaddafi will not be part of that solution. He’s not a key player any more.
This contrasts with the stance taken by Mustafa Abdul Jalil, the head of the National Transitional Council, who has said “the real moment of victory is when Gaddafi is captured.”
It’s also important not to forget the danger to civilian life at this time. Amnesty International has issued a statement warning that prolonged fighting in Tripoli is “seriously endangering civilian lives and has the potential to create a humanitarian crisis.” It is imperative that the allies, who intervened in Libya to save lives, do everything possible to minimise civlian casualties.
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