Libyan rebels believe Gaddafi being sheltered by paid tribesmen near Algerian border

Tripoli, Sept 29 (ANI): Ousted Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is believed to be hiding near a town on Libya's borders with Algeria and Tunisia, sheltered by tribesmen who are in his pay.

According to senior National Transitional Council (NTC) officials, the deposed leader is hiding near the western town of Ghadamis, a UNESCO world heritage site famous for its oasis near the Algerian border, under the protection of Touareg tribesmen.

Evidence of his presence apparently emerged after an attack at the Algerian border last weekend that killed at least nine rebels, The Guardian reports.

Hisham Buhagiar, a coordinator involved in the hunt for Gaddafi, revealed that the embattled leader was in the southern town of Samnu a week ago, before moving to Ghadamis, 350 miles south-west of Tripoli.

"There has been a fight between Tuareg tribesmen who are loyal to Gaddafi and Arabs living there in the south. We are negotiating. The Gaddafi search is taking a different course," the paper quoted Buhagiar, as saying.

Libyan military sources said that Tuaregs, nomads who live in the Sahara in Libya, Algeria and Mali, are supporting Gaddafi because he is paying them generously. (ANI)