Gaddafi’s youngest son killed in Nato air strike, rebels claim

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s youngest son has been killed in a Nato air strike, according to reports received by rebels.

Rebel spokesman Mohammad al-Rajali said Khamis Gaddafi was among 33 troops killed in a Nato strike on a government operations centre in the western town of Zlitan.

Officials in the Libyan capital Tripoli could not be reached for comment. Nato said there had been bombing around Zlitan on Thursday.

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An alliance spokesman in Brussels said that Nato could not verify the report.

Zlitan is 90 miles south-east of Tripoli. Khamis runs Libya’s 32nd Brigade, which has been fighting the rebels in Zlitan.

Khamis is a major commander in his father’s military forces and his death would be a blow to government efforts to crush the rebels.

In April, the Libyan government reported that Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Arab was killed, along with three of Gaddafi’s grandchildren in a Nato air strike against his house in Tripoli.

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Meanwhile rebel fighters in western Libya have said they are running “dangerously low” in ammunition and are now using their reserves.

A rebel source said the lack of weapons and ammunition is stalling their efforts and could lead to a stalemate. The fighters have received some weaponry from Qatar, but only light arms dating from the 1970s.

Commanders in Misrata are now negotiating with three countries to supply arms directly.

The rebels are getting help from Nato – the UK’s RAF tornado jets have pounded targets in and around Zlitan, destroying some of Gaddafi’s concealed weaponry.

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