Libyan Rebels: Surrender, Or ElseAugust 31, 2011 7:20 AM EDT
We may soon know if Muammar Gaddafi is hiding in his hometown of Sirte: Libyan rebels have issued an ultimatum, saying they will attack the loyalist city Saturday if it does not surrender first. The two sides have been negotiating to try to avoid further fighting, but a military brigade loyal to Gaddafi in Sirte has rejected all talks so far. Meanwhile, the rebels have said they will not accept an international peacekeeping force and also claim that one of Gaddafi’s sons, Saadi, is willing to surrender.
NATO: Tripoli 'Essentially Free'August 30, 2011 9:10 AM EDT
Tripoli is “essentially free” from Muammar Gaddadi’s rule, a NATO commander said on Tuesday. The comments from Col. Roland Lavoie are the clearest indication yet that Libya’s rebels are pushing Gaddafi to the brink. Lavoie also said that opposition fighters are in “discussions” with the regime in Sirte, Gaddafi’s birthplace and one of his last bastions of support. NATO’s mission in Libya will continue as long as civilians are under threat, Lavoie told reporters. On Monday, Algeria confirmed that Gaddafi’s wife and kids had fled to that country.
Gaddafi’s Daughter Gives Birth: ReportAugust 30, 2011 10:22 AM EDT
So that’s why she had to flee, besides the fact that a nation of rebels are after her. Sources tell CNN that former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s daughter, Aisha, has given birth in Algeria shortly after she entered the country Monday. Algeria’s Foreign Ministry had earlier disclosed that Gaddafi’s wife, Safia, and three children, including Aisha and two sons, crossed into the nation. Known in Arab media as the “Claudia Schiffer” of Libya, the blond lawyer was part of the defense team representing Saddam Hussein in his trial, which ultimately saw him convicted and hanged. She also served as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Program.
Rebels to Algeria: Return the GaddafisAugust 30, 2011 6:18 AM EDT
Libyan rebels have accused Algeria of aggression for granting refuge to Muammar Gaddafi’s wife and three of his children and called on Algeria to hand them over. “We consider this an act of aggression," a rebel spokesman said. "We are warning anybody not to shelter Gaddafi and his sons. We are going after them.” However, Algeria—which has not recognized the rebels—defended its move, saying it was just following the “holy rule of hospitality.” Rebels are also claiming to have killed Gaddafi’s son Khamis and his intelligence chief, Abdullah al-Senussi. Reuters says the killings would be “ the highest-profile casualties on the Gaddafi side” yet, but notes that Khamis has been reported dead twice before during the uprising, only to reappear.
Foreign Firms Aided Gaddafi's SpiesAugust 30, 2011 12:15 AM EDT
The “mad dog of the Middle East” liked to keep tabs on his people. Muammar Gaddafi’s regime bought surveillance equipment from many foreign companies, which was then used to spy on the Libyan people, the Wall Street Journal Reports. Earlier this year, Libyan officials held talks with several companies, including Boeing Co.’s Narus, in order to add Internet-filtering capabilities to Libya’s spying operation. South African firm VASTech SA Pty Ltd. sold Gadhafi’s regime tools to tap all international calls going in and out of the country. The sale of technology to intercept communications for profit is not against the law, although some countries require firms to obtain special approval before exporting interception devices.
Gaddafi's Unwilling ArmyAugust 29, 2011, 1:08 PM EDTBy Babak Dehghanpisheh
Nesrine Ferjani, 19, doesn’t look like a killer. With her delicate features and blue and gold scarf, the petite teenager wouldn’t be out of place in a high school classroom. But her life took an unexpected and tragic turn a year ago when her family had a bitter dispute with a member of Muammar Gaddafi’s feared Popular Guard militia. The quarrel could have blown over but the Guard member was out for revenge: Ferjani was forcibly taken away from her family, she says, and enlisted at a Guard camp near Gaddafi’s Bab Aziziya complex.
Gaddafi Nanny: I Was TorturedAugust 29, 2011, 12:53 PM EDT
Muammar Gaddafi often insisted that he lived a modest lifestyle during his 42-year rule, but the Gaddafi family seaside compound in Tripoli reveals a hedonistic and sometimes brutal lifestyle. CNN visited the homes Sunday alongside rebel troops and entered large, sleek, modernly furnished rooms littered with evidence of hedonism. CNN's Dan Rivers also discovered a nanny employed by Hannibal Gaddafi, one of the leader’s sons, who was horribly scarred and said she had been brutally tied up and scalded with boiling water by Hannibal’s wife, Aline, after refusing to beat their crying toddler. Another staff member also confessed to being regularly beaten by the Gaddafi family.
Good Riddance, GaddafiAugust 29, 2011, 1:00 AM EDTBy Dirk Vandewalle
In Benghazi a few weeks ago, I talked to a friend who has lived her entire life in Libya and whose father had, until the uprising began, been very closely linked to Muammar Gaddafi. What had struck her as the finest development since the uprising started? I expected her to talk about newfound freedoms, about the ability to truly speak her mind for the first time. Instead she replied: “Not having to hear Gaddafi’s speeches every day.”
