Libyans claim Gadhafi is hiding in western border area

Moammar Gadhafi often turned to the nomadic Tuareg to bolster his forces

 

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- Ousted Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is believed to be hiding out near the western town of Ghadamis under the protection of Tuareg fighters, an interim government military spokesman told CNN Tuesday.

"We have reliable information that Gadhafi is protected by the Tuareg tribe located between Niger, Algeria, and Ghadamis town in Libya," said Col. Abdul Basit.

He said Gadhafi's son Saif al-Islam is in Bani Walid and another son, Mutassim, is in Sirte. Both cities are among areas in Libya that remain contested, with loyalist Gadhafi forces fighting to the bitter end to retain control.

Basit did not provide insight as to how the interim government discovered Gadhafi's whereabouts and the claims could not be verified. The National Transitional Council has in the past made claims that turned out to be false.

Ghadamis lies in western Libya, on the border with Algeria. Tuareg tribesmen, known as capable mercenaries, have helped Gadhafi loyalists escape Libya across the expanses of the Sahel.

During his rule, Gadhafi often turned to the nomadic Tuareg to bolster his forces and his attempts to manipulate and destabilize the poor countries to the south of Libya: Niger, Chad and Mali.

The International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, has arrest warrants out for Moammar and Saif al-Islam Gadhafi. They are wanted for alleged crimes against humanity committed after the start of the Libyan uprising in February.

After the fall of Tripoli to revolutionary forces, purported messages from Moammar Gadhafi were aired on Syrian-based television Al-Rai. The longtime dictator has not been seen in public for months.

Libya's new leadership has been meeting in Benghazi to discuss the formation of an interim government. Meanwhile, battles are still raging in Sirte and Bani Walid -- NATO estimates that 200,000 of Libya's 6 million people are still under threat from Gadhafi's supporters.