Libyan Convoy Rolls Into Niger

Could contain Gadhafi or sons, as speculation swirls about destination
By Mark Russell,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 6, 2011 6:10 AM CDT
Libyan Convoy Rolls Into Niger
A rebel fighter sleeps next to a goat's carcass hanging from an anti-aircraft gun at a checkpoint between Tarhouna and Bani Walid in Libya yesterday.   (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)

A large military convoy consisting of 200 to 250 vehicles entered Niger from Libya yesterday, leading many to speculate it might include Moammar Gadhafi or one of his sons, reports the AFP. One report claimed the convoy was heading through Niger on the way to Burkina Faso, a country that has offered Gadhafi asylum. The convoy was reportedly carrying large amounts of cash taken from the Central Bank of Libya in Sirte.

Other sources claimed that senior Gadhafi officials also crossed into Niger on Sunday, and Tuareg rebels close to Gadhafi were seen with Libyan forces. But a Gadhafi spokesman was defiant, reports the AP: The longtime dictator is “in excellent health, planning and organizing for the defense of Libya,” where both Gadhafi and his sons remain, the rep told Syrian TV. “We are still strong and capable of turning the tables on NATO." (More Libya stories.)

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