Thursday, May 12, 2011

NATO jets strike Qaddafi compound in Tripoli as he makes TV appearance---NATO says-qaddafi is not the targat { can you believe?}

NATO air strikes hit the compound in Tripoli early Thursday where Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi resides, killing six people and wounding 10 others, government officials said.

“There were three dead here and three dead in another place” in addition to 10 wounded, said the official, gesturing to scattered sandbags next to a crater in the ground in a street of the Bab al-Azaziyah compound, according to Agenc-France Presse.


The Libyan TV said that one of the NATO air strikes on different sites in Tripoli had caused damage to the North Korean embassy.

Four explosions in quick succession had rocked Tripoli early Thursday as NATO jets flew overhead, after Colonel Qaddafi appeared on state TV for the first time in almost two weeks, ending doubt over his fate since a NATO air strike killed his son.

There had been rumors that Colonel Qaddafi had been killed or disabled in an earlier bombing sortie by NATO planes.

The early morning blasts shook the windows of a hotel where journalists are staying in the capital.
Two plumes of white smoke could be seen rising above the city following the blasts, as emergency vehicle sirens wailed and sporadic gunfire rang out, according to AFP.

The strikes came after Libyan state TV on Wednesday showed footage it said was of Mr. Qaddafi meeting with tribal leaders, the first new video of him aired since an April 30 air strike that the regime termed an attempt on his life.

The regime said that strike killed his son Saif al-Arab and three of his grandchildren, in “a direct operation to assassinate the leader of this country.”

Sources close to Mr. Qaddafi have denied that his grandchildren were killed. The colonel is not beyond exaggerating claims of the demise of family members at the hands of foes, say analysts.

State TV said the Wednesday footage was of a meeting between the 68-year-old colonel and tribal dignitaries from the east of Libya, an area held by protesters seeking his ouster. Many tribal leaders in that region have aligned themselves with the rebels.

A Libyan official told AFP the video was shot around 7:30 pm (1730 GMT) on Wednesday.

The Libyan leader made his appearance on Wednesday in a brown robe, dark sunglasses and black cap, according to Reuters.

“We tell the world these are the representatives of the Libyan tribes,” said Mr. Qaddafi, pointing to the officials and naming a few of them.

“You will be victorious,” an old man told Colonel Qaddafi, referring to the three-month-old revolt in the North African country against the Libyan leader’s 41 years of authoritarian rule.

A screen behind Mr. Qaddafi showed a morning chat show on state al-Jamahiriya television. A zoom-in on the screen showed Wednesday’s date displayed in the corner.

Reuters journalists based at the same hotel where Mr. Qaddafi reportedly met the tribal leaders said some rooms had been sealed off during the day for an event, but they had not seen the Libyan leader. In the past, he has made high-profile entrances accompanied by a large staff of bodyguards, minders and aides.

An international coalition began carrying out strikes on forces loyal to Colonel Qaddafi on March 19. NATO took command of operations over the North African country, of six million people, on March 31.

Massive protests in February—inspired by revolts that toppled long-time autocrats in Tunisia and Egypt—escalated into war when Mr. Qaddafi’s troops fired on demonstrators, and protesters seized several towns.

On Wednesday, protesters trying to overthrow Colonel Qaddafi said they had captured the airport in the city of Misrata in heavy fighting. Hailing it as a major victory, the protesters said they had also seized large quantities of weapons and munitions, Reuters reported.

No independent verification of the rebels’ account was available.

Misrata, a city of half a million people, besieged by Mr. Qaddafi’s forces for eight weeks, is strategically important to opposition hopes of winning the war because it is the only city they hold in the west of the North African country. It also has a key port.

In an effort to drum up more aid for the protesters’ cause, one of their senior leaders will visit London on Thursday.

Mustafa Abdul Jalil of the National Transitional Council (NTC) will meet with Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain to discuss the possibility of setting up a London office, British officials have confirmed, according to AFP.

Mr. Abdul Jalil will also meet Foreign Secretary William Hague of Britain to examine measures agreed at last week’s Contact Group meeting in Rome.

“I am very pleased to welcome Mr. Abdul Jalil to the UK,” Mr. Hague said in a Foreign Office (FCO) statement.

Among the “range of issues” to be addressed are the “establishment of a permanent NTC office in London and the provision of further non-lethal equipment and support to the NTC,” the British minister said.          Based on--Abeer Tayel, an editor at Al Arabiya

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