A senior Libyan government official has denied rebel reports that Muammar Qadhafi’s youngest son was killed in a NATO airstrike on the western town of Zlitan.
Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim says Khamis Qadhafi is alive and spoke to Libyan government officials to confirm his well-being.
Rebels in the eastern opposition stronghold of Benghazi have said that Mr. Khamis was among 33 troops killed in a NATO strike early Friday on a government operations centre in Zlitan.
ADVERTISEMENT
NATO says there was bombing around Zlitan on Thursday. An alliance spokesman in Brussels said on Friday that NATO could not confirm the report of Mr. Khamis’ death.
Zlitan is about 140 km southeast of Tripoli. Mr. Khamis runs Libya’s 32nd Brigade, which has been fighting the rebels in Zlitan.