 WASHINGTON, Oct 21: US President Barack Obama congratulates Libyans on the death of their former dictator Muammar Gaddafi, while apparently attempting to attribute the credit for the victory to the Western military alliance of NATO.
“This marks the end of a long and painful chapter for the people of Libya who now have the opportunity to determine their own destiny in a new and democratic Libya," Obama said on Thursday in Washington, Reuters reported.The US commander-in-chief said, "One of the world's longest-serving dictators is no more," adding that the Libyans had won their revolution and "the dark shadow of tyranny has been lifted."
The 69-year-old was caught in a sewage pipe on the outskirts of Sirte. He is said to have been captured by the fighters, while riding in a motorcade attempting to flee the city, which is located 400 kilometers (250 miles) east of the capital.
Ruler since 1969, Gaddafi started to lose his grip on power in February with the outbreak of a popular revolution against his despotic regime.
Obama, however, said "Our leadership at NATO has helped guide our coalition. Without putting a single US service member on the ground, we achieved our objectives.”
In March and in the height of the revolution, NATO took command of the airstrikes on Libya through a UN mandate, with US, French, and British military aircraft starting to pound away on the country.
NATO's fighter jets have carried out at least 25,000 sorties over Libya, more than 9,000 of which amounted to airstrikes. Libyan officials say hundreds of civilians have died in the bombings.
EU leaders, including those of Britain, France, Italy, and Germany also congratulated the Libyan people on their victory. |
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