Gaddafi's son captured, humanitarian crisis grows

Libya's National Transitional Council is announcing the capture of one of Moammar Gaddhafi's sons. Mutassim Gaddafi was reportedly captured in Sirte while attempting to flee by car with an unknown family.

SIRTE, LIBYA (Catholic Online) - The NTC sources are conflicted. While an official spokesman of the Council says he was captured, another spokesman in Benghazi said they had received no reports or confirmation that Mutassim Gaddafi had been captured.

Other independent reports indicate that he has in fact, been captured. Rebel soldiers in Sirte are also spreading the news of his capture, and are telling reporters that they raided his compound earlier today. 

 Mutassim served his father as a national security adviser that he was not a senior leader like his brothers Saif al-Islam and Khamis, both who have been missing for weeks. He is thus far the only member of Gaddafi's immediate family to have been captured.

Also on Wednesday, the National Transitional Council said they were prepared to declare total victory over Gaddafi loyalist forces within the next week. However, Red Cross workers warned that thousands of civilians were still trapped in Sirte and that aid was having difficulty reaching them.
Although the fighting has been fierce, NTC troops appear to be finishing off the last of the Gaddafi loyalist forces.

As Gaddafi's troops are killed or surrender, a new enemy, possibly even more dangerous than the fighting, is beginning to appear. Specifically, a lack of clean water and food has plagued the city for weeks, and the situation appears to be worsening. Civilians have been without electricity for a very long time. Fortunately, thousands of civilians have been able to flee to safer areas in the past several days.

A hospital previously occupied by Gaddafi loyalists, has also been liberated and the Red Cross is evacuating critical patients. Red Cross personnel said that only a few doctors and nurses have remained on hand to care for the hospital's many patients.

They also added that the hospital has been partially destroyed and is no longer usable.
Repeated calls have been made to the military forces on both sides to respect the rights of civilians. Previous battles have seen civilian casualties, widespread looting, and acts of violence against specific individuals, including killings. As NTC forces wrap up their latest campaign, the entire world is watching to ensure that Libya's new army conducts itself professionally and respects the rights of the civilians in the newly controlled areas.

Sirte is famous as Gaddafi's hometown and has been a loyalist stronghold for the ousted dictator. It remains to be seen if NTC troops will respect the people of Sirte, or if they will use their newfound power to take revenge on the community that has remained loyal to Gaddafi until the end.

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