Fugitive Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi was killed in fighting around his hometown Thursday, a top official in Libya’s transitional government said, citing reports from fighters who claimed they saw the body.
Information Minister Mahmoud Shammam said he expects the prime minister to confirm the death soon, noting that past reports emerged “before making 100 percent confirmation.”
Past reports of Qaddafi deaths or captures have later proven incorrect.
NATO said it hit a convoy of Qaddafi’s loyalists fleeing Sirte on Thursday morning but it could not confirm whether the ousted Libyan leader was in the convoy or possibly killed or captured.