Reuters reports that a National Transitional Council spokesman has announced that Muammar Qaddafi has been killed after having been captured in the last redoubt of Sirte, which finally fell to the rebel forces this morning after several weeks of sometimes fierce fighting.
Reports indicate that Qaddafi tried to flee in a convoy that was strafed by NATO aircraft. He was found in a hole in the ground when NTC troops swept through the area. One report said that he had been shot in both legs, and was packed into an ambulance.
"He (Gaddafi) was also hit in his head," National Transitional Council official Abdel Majid Mlegta told Reuters. "There was a lot of firing against his group and he died."Other information in the report states that large numbers of pro-Qaddafi troops were killed in the final stages of the battle.
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Update: Now the Washington Post is gathering other sources with the story, though details are still hazy. First reports of his capture came into the West at about noon GMT, 0400 Pacific.
On to Bashar al-Assad. The Obama administration is urging peaceful measures by the opposition, after the Syrian government forces have inflicted over 3000 deaths. We're talking about more sanctions.
News of Qaddafi's final fall could be the spark of encouragement for the Syrian uprising.
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