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Part I - Libyan skeptics appear to believe Gadhafi is still alive
by Joseph Earnest November 7, 2011
Newscast Media HOUSTON, Texas -- For the past two weeks, I have been requested by skeptics, to consider the other side of the coin in regard to Gadhafi's death. On October 20, 2011, news headlines across the world concentrated on covering the fall of the king of kings, and even displayed a video of Gadhafi having been captured by the rebels. However, skeptics who refuse to believe Gadhafi was killed assert that it would have been impossible for him to be in Sirte at the time of his alleged capture.
Since this journalist already presented the side of the story in which the mainstream media indicated Gadhafi was killed, it would be fair to present the other side of the story from skeptics who appear to believe he is still alive.
On October 14, six days before the fall of Gadhafi, Al Jazeera reported in a newscast that the embattled leader was deep in the southern Libya desert headed for Niger. Abdul Hafiz Ghoga, the vice-chairman of the NTC, told Al Jazeera that satellites had been tracking the former Libyan leader South of Sabha.
"We have confirmed reports that Gaddafi is in the southern Libyan desert. He's not staying in one place. He is moving around with a small convoy which consists of his closest aides and bodyguards," he said. Here's the full article. (pop-up)
To give you a background on how vast the Libyan desert is, and how far Sabha is from Sirte, I have included a map of the region.
From the map above, it would have been more logical for Gadhafi who was in Sabha
to flee West to Algeria or South to Niger, because the distances to both countries
are shorter than going back up North to Sirte (Surt) that was under siege.
Location is everything
Across the pond, the U.K. Guardian also reported that comments by Mahmoud Jibril reflected fears that the ousted leader would be able to use friendly relations with neighboring countries cultivated during his more than four decades in power to help him launch a bid to return to power.
"Reports have shown that 68 vehicles with at least eight fighters each crossed the Libyan borders to Mali and Gaddafi is hiding in the southern desert," Jibril told reporters.
He said Gaddafi had made a deal with the Hamada tribe, which roams the borders between Chad, Sudan and Libya, to provide 12,000 fighters "to enter Libya and start the fight". (pop-up)
Later The Australian confirmed that the comments by Mahmoud Jibril reflected fears that the fugitive dictator would be able to use friendly relations with neighboring countries cultivated during his more than four decades in power to help him launch a bid to return to power. (pop-up)
Considering the sources that placed Gadhafi in the deep South only six days before October 20, what would be the rationale or logic behind Gadhafi turning around and going back up North to Sirte, yet the city was under siege by what he referred to as the rats? Gadhafi had excellent intel, and was the first to accurately identify the rebels as Al Qaeda, which turned out to be true.
If he and his convoy of 63 armored vehicles was headed to a safe haven in Niger or Mali, accompanied his battalions, what sense would it make to then abandon the southern route and engage the enemy?
However, what's even more telling is that on August 27, Israel's YNET News pointed out that, "A convoy of six armored vehicles has crossed the Libyan border to Algeria The Egyptian news agency reported. While it is unclear who was riding in the cars, a rebel forces source estimated that the convoy transported senior Libyan officials – including the embattled leader, Muammar Gaddafi." If we take Israel's intelligence at its word, Gaddafi left Libya long before the bombing intensified and is somewhere outside Libya. (pop-up)
On October 20, even after videos went viral showing the capture and eventual death of the man who many believe was Gadhafi, NATO refused to confirm that it was him who was captured or killed. A NATO official told Xinhua news that it was up to the NTC to confirm the alleged capture of Gaddafi, not the military alliance. (pop-up)
There were conflicting reports about the way the demise took place. Some reports indicated that pilots in Las Vegas used a remote-controlled drone to locate and attack Gadhafi's convoy, and that's how he sustained his injuries, causing him to bleed to death on the way to a hospital in an ambulance.
Another report said Gadhafi was shot in the legs, yet the pictures released did not show any bullet wounds on his legs and he was still walking in the video that was shown on the Internet. The third story came from a rebel who confessed that he himself pumped bullets in Gadhafi's chest and head. Despite the conflicting stories about the manner in which he was captured, there was a man who was in those videos and there are also photos showing a dead man. If it wasn't Gadhafi in these videos, who was the man being paraded around? Continue to Part II to find out more >>
Related article:
PART II - Libyan skeptics believe Gadhafi is still alive
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