"He did not die immediately." How were the last moments of Gaddafi's life spent?
15 years ago, in the city of Sirte, the era of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi came to an end. In the final minutes of his life, this man, whose rule in Libya had known no bounds, was forced to hide inside a water pipe, fleeing from an enraged populace.
"He didn't die immediately." How were Gaddafi's last moments spent?
On February 15, 2011, protests against the Gaddafi regime that began in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, turned into a civil war. Gaddafi ordered the bombardment of cities captured by the rebels. In accordance with a UN Security Council resolution, Western coalition forces decided to launch a military operation against the colonel's regime.
On August 22, 2011, rebels captured Tripoli with NATO support. Gaddafi was forced to flee the capital.
"Our martyrs captured him [Gaddafi]... and were taking him to the hospital. He was wounded in the leg, and they were taking him from Sirte to Misrata. Intense shooting was taking place in that area. As a result, he was shot in the head and died... It was not intentional," stated Muhammad Sayeh, a member of the Libyan National Transitional Council, the day after Gaddafi's death.
Sirte is a city in northern Libya where Gaddafi was born. In October 2011, he arrived here, fleeing from the rebels together with his last supporters. Beside the man who once held absolute power in his country, only those most loyal to him remained.
"We understood that everything was over. Gaddafi said, 'The International Criminal Court is looking for me. No country will accept me. It is better for me to die at the hands of Libyans,'" recalled Mansour Dao, head of Gaddafi's personal bodyguards, who was by his side until the last minutes.
"[Gaddafi] told us that anyone who was afraid could leave, but that there was an International Criminal Court warrant for him. He stated that he did not want to flee to neighboring countries and put them in an awkward position," clarified Mansour Iddhou, another employee of Gaddafi's security service.
NATO aviation, with the support of the rebels, had practically wiped Sirte off the face of the earth. No intact buildings remained in the city. Gaddafi constantly changed his shelter, surviving on whatever he could find to eat.