150 Prisoners Dead in Libyan Capital 'Mass Murder'
Forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi killed more than 150 prisoners in a "mass murder" as they fled the rebel takeover of Tripoli, a rebel military chief told Agence France Presse on Friday.
"There were instances of revenge in the last few hours before the fall of the regime," said Abdul Nagib Mlegta, head of operations for the takeover of the capital.
"In Bab al-Aziziya there was a mass murder. They killed more than 150 prisoners. The guards did it before running away. They threw hand grenades at them," he said, referring to Gadhafi’s fortified headquarters.
Mlegta said his fighters had seized control of 95 percent of the capital. "There are just a few pockets of resistance," in the districts of Salah al-Din and Abu Slim, he said.
The rebel chief hoped to fully control Tripoli and capture Gadhafi within 72 hours.
Amnesty International said earlier on Friday it had uncovered evidence that forces loyal to Gadhafi had killed "numerous" prisoners at two military camps in Tripoli.
Prisoners who managed to escape had described how pro-regime troops lobbed grenades and opened fire on detainees as they tried to flee one camp. At another, guards shot dead five detainees held in solitary confinement.
The London-based Amnesty called on loyalist forces to halt killings of captives and urged both sides to ensure prisoners in their custody were not harmed.
Amnesty said that on Tuesday, when rebel forces stormed the Bab al-Aziziya compound, about 160 detainees tried to flee the metal hangar where they were being held at a military camp in Khilit al-Ferjan, southwest Tripoli.
Two guards told them the gates were unlocked, but as the detainees made a break for freedom, two other guards opened fire and threw five hand grenades at the group, one eyewitness told Amnesty.
The rights group, which has had a delegation in Tripoli since before the rebels launched their assault on the capital on August 20, said it was unclear how many people survived but at least 23 of the detainees escaped.
Amnesty said the other atrocity took place on Wednesday at Qasr bin Ghashir military camp where guards loyal to Gadhafi shot dead five detainees they were holding in solitary cells.
Source: Agence France Presse
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