Family members of Libyan leader killed

On Sunday night, NATO planes bombed the building in which Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was staying. As a result of the raid, his youngest son, two granddaughters and a grandson were killed. This incident could significantly reduce the level of support for the NATO operation in the public opinion of Western countries: if earlier reports of casualties were not personalized, now we are talking about the deaths of specific, innocent people.

NATO planes dropped several bombs on a house where members of the family of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi were at that moment. As a result of the air raid, a large crater was formed at the site of the building. There were some casualties - the youngest son of Muammar Gaddafi, 29-year-old Saif al-Arab, the 15-month-old grandson of the Libyan leader Saif Mohammed, as well as his two granddaughters - two-year-old Carthage and six-month-old Mastura - were killed. Muammar Gaddafi himself was reportedly unharmed.

Saif al-Arab, the sixth son of the Libyan leader, was born on January 1, 1982. In 2006 he entered the Technical University in Munich, where he studied until recently. After the start of protests in Libya, al-Arab returned to his homeland and was sent by his father to the east to suppress protest sentiments. At the end of February, the media reported that al-Arab had defected to the rebels, but these rumors were later denied.

Immediately after the strikes, NATO officials said their only target was the command center located in the house, and not members of the Libyan dictator's family. At the same time, supporters and associates of Muammar Gaddafi are sure of the opposite. As stated by the official representative of the Libyan authorities, Musa Ibrahim, the attack was nothing more than an attempt to assassinate the leader of the nation. At the same time, he noted that official Tripoli is “ready to cease fire, negotiate, discuss various plans and conclude agreements on oil supplies,” but does not see a response from the West. Let us note that a few hours before the death of Saif al-Arab, Muammar Gaddafi himself announced his readiness to provide NATO member countries with access to Libyan oil in exchange for a truce.

Both opponents and supporters of the regime responded vividly to the news from Tripoli. The first took to the streets of cities under their control, primarily Benghazi, and celebrated on a grand scale the murder of relatives of their main enemy. The second attacked the diplomatic missions of the countries involved in the military operation, in particular Britain, Italy and the USA. And although casualties were avoided (diplomats from these countries were evacuated from Tripoli long ago), significant damage was caused to the buildings.

As a retaliatory step, the British authorities expelled the Libyan ambassador Omar Djelban from the country. In addition, the leadership of the UN mission in Libya, whose building was also attacked by an angry crowd, began evacuating its employees. However, Gaddafi's representatives have already apologized for being unable to contain the people's anger and promised to restore the damaged buildings at their own expense.

The murder of members of Muammar Gaddafi's family was condemned with his characteristic expression by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. "How long will the Yankees and their NATO allies think they have the right to bomb the whole world?" he exclaimed, declaring that he was in favor of “an immediate ceasefire, as well as respect for the independence of the Arab nation and government of Libya.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed deep concern about the growing number of casualties among the civilian population of Libya. “The statements of coalition members that the strikes on Libya are not aimed at the physical destruction of Muammar Gaddafi and members of his family raise serious doubts,” says the official statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry, which also emphasizes that the Security Council resolution “in no way provides for a change of leadership Libyan Jamahiriya".

According to analysts, changes in attitude towards the NATO operation in Libya are beginning to occur in the West. Well-known American political scientist and senior analyst at the Demos research institute Benjamin Barber wrote yesterday in his column for the British The Guardian: “NATO has not only taken the leading role in the killing of civilians, but has also become an active player in the undeclared and illegal war with the Libyan government.” According to Mr. Barber, the alliance “violates international laws, demonstrates indifference to innocent people, and is also waging a war that is not sanctioned by any international organization, any national parliament or any moral code.” Meanwhile, at the end of February, the same Benjamin Barber condemned the Gaddafi regime for “the repressions against protesters that have spread throughout the country, using the most barbaric methods.”

Pavel Tarasenko

NATO shed Gaddafi's blood