Gadhafi buried in Libyan desert

MISRATA, Libya - Flamboyant and grandiose in life, Moammar Gadhafi was buried Tuesday in secrecy and anonymity, laid to rest in an unmarked grave before dawn in the Libyan desert that was home to his Bedouin tribal ancestors.

The burial ended the gruesome spectacle of Gadhafi's decaying corpse on public display in a cold storage locker at a Misrata warehouse for four days after he was killed in his hometown of Surt on Oct. 20.

The location of the dictator's grave site was not disclosed by the interim government for fear of vandalism by his foes and veneration by his supporters.

Gadhafi, 69, was buried along with his son Muatassim and former Defense Minister Abu Bakr Younis after the military council in the city of Misrata ordered a reluctant Muslim cleric to say the required prayers.

Libya's new leaders hope the funeral will allow the country to turn the page on the four-decade Gadhafi era and the bloody eight-month rebellion against him. Still, the book cannot be closed completely, with questions remaining about his slaying, and his son and one-time heir apparent, Seif al-Islam, still at large.

Under international pressure to investigate the circumstances of Gadhafi's death, the interim leaders of the National Transitional Council issued a statement late Tuesday saying they "disapprove" of any prisoner being hurt, let alone killed. It was the first time the new leaders spoke out against Gadhafi's killing.

The three bodies were moved under cover of darkness late Monday by the city's military council. They were taken from the warehouse area to a school in Misrata where suspected regime loyalists are being held, said Mohammed al-Madani, a Muslim cleric and one of the detainees.

About 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, Madani and another detained cleric were ordered to pray over the bodies, which had been wrapped in shrouds, with their faces covered. Madani said that he initially refused but felt he had no choice and quickly said the required prayers.

A Gadhafi nephew and two sons of Abu Bakr also participated in the prayer, said Ibrahim Beitalmal, a spokesman for the military council. The nephew was later identified as Abdel Rahman Abdel Hamid, son of a Gadhafi sister.

The bodies were then put in coffins, handed over to authorities and driven to another location for burial, which took place about 5 a.m., according to Madani and Beitalmal.

A Misrata official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to disclose details, said the site was in the desert.

Libya's uprising, which began in mid-February and quickly turned into a civil war, has decimated Gadhafi's family. Three sons - Muatassim, Seif al-Arab, and Khamis - have been killed. Gadhafi's wife, Safiya, fled to Algeria with their daughter Aisha and sons Hannibal and Muhammed.

A senior official in neighboring Niger said Gadhafi's son Seif al-Islam, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on war-crimes charges for his role in trying to crush the uprising, was trying to flee there to join other regime loyalists.

The escape of the Western-educated son, once seen as a likely successor, raised the possibility of attempts to direct an insurgency against Libya's new rulers, though it is not clear if exiled loyalists have the drive, money, and support to do so.

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta pointedly declined Tuesday to say whether the Obama administration intended to seek military ties with Libya's new government, amid uncertainty about Islamist influences there after the demise of strongman Moammar Gadhafi.

Asked at a news conference in Tokyo whether Libya should be a U.S. military partner and what such

a relationship would entail, Panetta said the United States would take its lead from NATO, whose months-long air campaign helped Libyan rebels

oust and eventually kill Gadhafi.

He said the immediate U.S. concerns in Libya were focused on the possibility of providing medical assistance to Libya's wounded and preventing weapons from falling into the wrong hands. Of particular concern are antiaircraft weapons.

Questions also persist about the nature of the new Libya and the degree of Islamist influence in a government now led by National Transitional Council leader Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, who said Sunday that Islamic sharia law would be the main source of legislation, that laws contradicting its tenets would be nullified, and that polygamy would be legalized.

Panetta, on his first visit to Asia as Pentagon chief, was scheduled to travel Wednesday to South

Korea to meet with government leaders and talk to U.S. troops.

- Associated Press

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