| In which the writer is skeptical that Saif is dead, or that we were targeting both Gaddafi and son, or that they were all together in the bunker. Can't say for sure but he makes an interesting series of points. See if you can connect the dots same way he does. |
by Fadel Lamen
The strike that killed the dictators youngest son came nowhere close to killing Gaddafi, says Fadel Lamens Libyan sources , who also cast doubt on whether grandchildren were killed. Plus, Clive Irving on what the killing reveals about NATO's on-the-ground intelligenceand its view of ending the war in Libya.
Forgive me for being cynical, but Ive seen this act before. Yes, the NATO strike on the Gaddafi familyboth the death of Saif al-Arab Gaddafi (not to be confused with Saif al-Islam, as the Libyan spokesman himself initially was) and the reported near-hit on the dictator himselfis important for the message sent and the chaos sown.
But the details on the Gaddafi hit dont add up, and they make meand a half dozen sources I talked with last night, including several in Libyaskeptical about how close we came to hitting the dictator. Or that three grandchildren were actually killed, as Gaddafis embattled government claims.
Musa Ibrahim al-Gaddafi, the belligerent leaders spokesmanand cousinwent straight into propaganda mode after the strike. Mr. Saif al-Arab was a civilian, a student... He was playing and talking to his father and mother and his nieces and nephews and other visitors when he was attacked and killed.
Like most of what the spokesmen there say, the regime has so far failed to provide any proof of its claim, except to guide the Western journalists in a tour of a facility bombed by NATO. The lack of clear evidence of any death, except spots of blood, just increases cynicism.
My Tripoli sources confirm an attack on one of the regimes buildings frequented by another of his sons, Hanibal Gaddafibut not Gaddafi himself, his wife or the other sons. In fact, one of my sources, acquainted with the family's habits, maintained that the family almost never gets together, especially given the current circumstances, which makes the idea of a NATO strike that somehow hit a nest of Gaddafis (sparing the leader, of course) seem a bit far-fetched.
In fact, several sources in Libya insisted to me that Gaddafi and his wife were nowhere close to the building. Rather than stay with family, or in official and military buildings and installations, Gaddafi, these people tell me, instead stays in civilian areas in apartments and other unsuspected buildings and moves constantly.
And consider that Saif-al-Arab, just 29, wasnt married, and didnt have known children of his own, according to my sources. So where did these grandchildren magically appear from?
Its reminiscent of Gaddafi claims exactly a quarter-century ago that a U.S. attack on his compound spared him, but killed his adopted daughter.
Its all reminiscent of Gaddafi claims exactly a quarter-century ago that a U.S. attack on his compound spared him, but killed his adopted daughter, Hana. Many then and now dismiss the story as a propaganda stunt. Mohamed Buisier, a Libyan opposition figure, who returned from Libya a few weeks ago, says he believes that Abdulsalam al-Zadma, one of Gaddafis right-hand men went to the children's hospital right after the attack and took a picture of an already dead baby and fabricated the story. Buisier says he believes, as do many others, that Hana is still alive in Tripoli.
It has been known in the last few months since the Libyan uprising how Gaddafi recycled the dead bodies of the Libyans he killed to claim that NATO killed them. His forces would dig up the graves and collect the bodies just to store them in refrigerators in Tripoli to be used as victims of the Western crusaders.
Perhaps today, hell offer more concrete proof. But many Libyans familiar with Gaddafis behavior worry that, in the quest for propagandaand bloodhe will commit civilian massacres, and then try to pin it on NATO or the Libyan rebels. He telegraphed as much in a long speech on Friday, when he rambled aimlessly: first angry, then helpless, then threatening, then reconciliatory, then defiant. The one thing he kept repeating: Civilian casualties are caused by the West.
Know this: Gaddafi will not hesitate to do whatever it takes to survive. Desperate regimes act desperately; lies and crimes are the last set of tools in the toolbox. |
