Gadhafi Son: Our Victory Is Near

Other son negotiating surrender
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 1, 2011 2:00 AM CDT
Updated Sep 1, 2011 2:10 AM CDT
Gadhafi Son: Our Victory Is Near
Libyan rebel vehicles parked next to a road marker 138 kilometers from Sirte.   (AP Photo/Gaia Anderson)

Moammar Gadhafi's most prominent—and possibly most deluded—son says his father is doing fine and Gadhafi loyalists are close to victory. "We would like to assure people that we are steadfast and the commander is doing well," Saif al-Islam told a Syrian radio station, claiming to be speaking from the outskirts of Tripoli. He warned that 20,000 armed loyalists are ready to defend the city of Sirte, which rebel forces are moving to encircle.

"We must wage a campaign of attrition day and night until these lands are cleansed from these gangs and traitors," he said. The Libyan capital seems stable, and Saif al-Islam's threats appear empty, according to the BBC's correspondent in Tripoli. Another Gadhafi son, Saadi, is negotiating the terms of his own surrender, according to rebel commanders. "If my surrender stops the spilling of blood, I am ready to give myself up tonight," Saadi Gadhafi told a TV station. (More Moammar Gadhafi stories.)

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