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Gadhafi vows to die as a martyr in Libya Interior minister resigns; U.S. officials confirm east of country has 'fallen' to the protesters Gaddafi loses more Libyan cities - Protesters wrest control of more cities as unrest sweeps African nation despite Muammar Gaddafi's threat of crackdown. Muammar Gaddafi, Libya's long-standing ruler, has reportedly lost control of more cities as anti-government protests continue to sweep the African nation despite his threat of a brutal crackdown. Protesters in Misurata said on Wednesday they had wrested the western city from government control. In a statement on the internet, army officers stationed in the city pledged "total support for the protesters". The protesters also seemed to be in control of much of the country's east, and an Al Jazeera correspondent, reporting from the city of Tobruk, 140km from the Egyptian border, said there was no presence of security forces. "From what I've seen, I'd say the people of eastern Libya are the ones in control," Hoda Abdel-Hamid, our correspondent, said. She said there were no officials manning the border when the Al Jazeera team crossed into Libya. 'People in charge' "All along the border, we didn't see one policeman, we didn't see one soldier and people here told us they [security forces] have all fled or are in hiding and that the people are now in charge, meaning all the way from the border, Tobruk, and then all the way up to Benghazi. "People tell me it's also quite calm in Bayda and Benghazi. They do say, however, that 'militias' are roaming around, especially at night. They describe them as African men, they say they speak French so they think they're from Chad." Major-General Suleiman Mahmoud, the commander of the armed forces in Tobruk, told Al Jazeera that the troops led by him had switched loyalties. "We are on the side of the people," he said. "I was with him [Gaddafi] in the past but the situation has changed - he's a tyrant." Benghazi, Libya's second largest city, was where people first rose up in revolt against Gaddafi's 42-year long rule more than a week ago. The rebellion has since spread to other cities despite heavy-handed attempts by security forces to quell the unrest. With authorities placing tight restrictions on the media, flow of news from Libya is at best patchy. But reports filtering out suggest at least 300 people have been killed in the violence. Defiant Gaddafi Amid the turmoil, a defiant Gaddafi has vowed to quash the uprising. He delivered a rambling speech on television on Tuesday night, declaring he would die a martyr in Libya, and threatening to purge opponents "house by house" and "inch by inch". He blamed the uprising in the country on "Islamists", and warned that an "Islamic emirate" has already been set up in Bayda and Derna, where he threatened the use of extreme force. He urged Libyans to take to the streets and show their support for their leader. Several hundred government loyalists heeded his call in Tripoli, the capital, on Wednesday, staging a pro-Gaddafi rally in the city's Green Square. Fresh gunfire was reported in the capital on Wednesday, after Gaddafi called on his supporters to take back the streets from anti-government protesters. But Gaddafi's speech has done little to stem the steady stream of defections from his side. Libyan diplomats across the world have either resigned in protest at the use of violence against citizens, or renounced Gaddafi's leadership, saying that they stand with the protesters. Late on Tuesday night, General Abdul-Fatah Younis, the country's interior minister, became the latest government official to stand down, saying that he was resigning to support what he termed as the "February 17 revolution". He urged the Libyan army to join the people and their "legitimate demands". Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
Libyan protesters shout anti-Gadhafi slogans during a demonstration in the eastern Libyan town of Derna, between Tobruk and Benghazi, on Wednesday, Feb. 23. -AFP - Getty Images
An anti-government protester wearing a military uniform holds up an RPG launcher that was brought back to a state security building taken over by anti-government protesters after it was stolen from a military unit in Ben Ghazi on Feb. 23. People in Benghazi said earlier they now feel safe handing in weapons recovered after security forces lost control of the Libyan city. - Asmaa Waguih / Reuters
Tunisians try to board a bus after arriving from Libya on Feb. 23 at the Ras Jdir border post, near the Tunisian city of Ben Guerdane. Thousands of Tunisians returned to their country to escape bloody unrest in Libya. - Fred Dufour / AFP - Getty ImageS
Libyan army soldiers and other protesters stand over an army van shouting slogans against Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi during a demonstration in Tobruk, Libya on Feb. 23. The writing in Arabic reads "Libya, youth revolution". - Hussein Malla / AP
Egyptians, who have just crossed Salloum land port gate with Libya, at background, carry their luggage on Wednesday. -Tarek Fawzy / AP
Libyan protetsers protest against Libyan Leader Moammar Gadhafi in Tobruk on Wednesday. FEBRUARY 23 - Hussein Malla / AP
Reuters Pictures - Protesters chant anti-government slogans in Benghazi city, Libya, February 23, 2011. Thousands of Libyans celebrated the liberation of the eastern city of Benghazi from the rule of Muammar Gaddafi, who was reported to have sent a plane to bomb them on Wednesday as he clung to power. The crew bailed out of the aircraft after it took off from the capital Tripoli. It then came down south-west of Benghazi, Libya's Quryna newspaper cited a military source as saying, averting a fresh bloodshed in almost a week of violence.
Reuters Pictures - An anti-government protester puts his hand around toy dogs that has the name of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his son Saif al-Islam near a square where people are protesting in Benghazi city, Libya, February 23, 2011. Thousands of Libyans celebrated the liberation of the eastern city of Benghazi from the rule of Gaddafi, who was reported to have sent a plane to bomb them on Wednesday as he clung to power. The crew bailed out of the aircraft after it took off from the capital Tripoli. It then came down south-west of Benghazi, Libya's Quryna newspaper cited a military source as saying, averting a fresh bloodshed in almost a week of violence.
Reuters Pictures - An anti-government protester holds the Muslim holy book, the Koran, while protesters chant anti-government slogans in Benghazi city, Libya, February 23, 2011. Thousands of Libyans celebrated the liberation of the eastern city of Benghazi from the rule of Muammar Gaddafi, who was reported to have sent a plane to bomb them on Wednesday as he clung to power. The crew bailed out of the aircraft after it took off from the capital Tripoli. It then came down south-west of Benghazi, Libya's Quryna newspaper cited a military source as saying, averting a fresh bloodshed in almost a week of violence.
Reuters Pictures - Anti-government protesters make victory signs as they stand on an army tank near a square where people are protesting in Benghazi city, Libya, February 23, 2011. Thousands of Libyans celebrated the liberation of the eastern city of Benghazi from the rule of Muammar Gaddafi, who was reported to have sent a plane to bomb them on Wednesday as he clung to power. The crew bailed out of the aircraft after it took off from the capital Tripoli. It then came down south-west of Benghazi, Libya's Quryna newspaper cited a military source as saying, averting a fresh bloodshed in almost a week of violence.
Reuters Pictures Anti-government protesters sit by the seaside near a square where people gather for protests in Benghazi city, Libya, February 23, 2011. Thousands of Libyans celebrated the liberation of the eastern city of Benghazi from the rule of Muammar Gaddafi, who was reported to have sent a plane to bomb them on Wednesday as he clung to power. The crew bailed out of the aircraft after it took off from the capital Tripoli. It then came down south-west of Benghazi, Libya's Quryna newspaper cited a military source as saying, averting a fresh bloodshed in almost a week of violence.
Reuters Pictures Protesters chant anti-government slogans in Benghazi city, Libya, February 23, 2011. Thousands of Libyans celebrated the liberation of the eastern city of Benghazi from the rule of Muammar Gaddafi, who was reported to have sent a plane to bomb them on Wednesday as he clung to power. The crew bailed out of the aircraft after it took off from the capital Tripoli. It then came down south-west of Benghazi, Libya's Quryna newspaper cited a military source as saying, averting a fresh bloodshed in almost a week of violence.
Reuters Pictures Protesters chant anti-government slogans while holding a poster depicting the Libyan leader Gaddafi in Benghazi city, Libya, February 23, 2011. The banner reads "No comment youth of 17th February". Thousands of Libyans celebrated the liberation of the eastern city of Benghazi from the rule of Muammar Gaddafi, who was reported to have sent a plane to bomb them on Wednesday as he clung to power. The crew bailed out of the aircraft after it took off from the capital Tripoli. It then came down south-west of Benghazi, Libya's Quryna newspaper cited a military source as saying, averting a fresh bloodshed in almost a week of violence.
Reuters Pictures - Protesters chant anti-government slogans while holding a Libyan flag in a square in Benghazi city, Libya, February 23, 2011. Thousands of Libyans celebrated the liberation of the eastern city of Benghazi from the rule of Muammar Gaddafi, who was reported to have sent a plane to bomb them on Wednesday as he clung to power. The crew bailed out of the aircraft after it took off from the capital Tripoli. It then came down south-west of Benghazi, Libya's Quryna newspaper cited a military source as saying, averting a fresh bloodshed in almost a week of violence.
Reuters Pictures - A state security building taken over by anti-government protesters is seen in Benghazi city, Libya, February 23, 2011.
Reuters Pictures - A protester looks at the pictures of protesters who were killed during the last few days during the uprising against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in Benghazi city, Libya, February 23, 2011. Thousands of Libyans celebrated the liberation of the eastern city of Benghazi from the rule of Gaddafi, who was reported to have sent a plane to bomb them on Wednesday as he clung to power. The crew bailed out of the aircraft after it took off from the capital Tripoli. It then came down south-west of Benghazi, Libya's Quryna newspaper cited a military source as saying, averting a fresh bloodshed in almost a week of violence.
Reuters Pictures - Protesters chant anti-government slogans in a square in Benghazi city, Libya, February 23, 2011. Thousands of Libyans celebrated the liberation of the eastern city of Benghazi from the rule of Gaddafi, who was reported to have sent a plane to bomb them on Wednesday as he clung to power. The crew bailed out of the aircraft after it took off from the capital Tripoli. It then came down south-west of Benghazi, Libya's Quryna newspaper cited a military source as saying, averting a fresh bloodshed in almost a week of violence.
Reuters Pictures Protesters chant anti-government slogans while holding a poster depicting the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi as a pig and reads 'no comment' in Benghazi city, Libya, February 23, 2011
Reuters Pictures Protesters chant anti-government slogans in a square in Benghazi city, Libya, February 23, 2011.
Reuters Pictures - Protesters chant anti-government slogans while an effigy depicting Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is hung in a square in Benghazi city, Libya, February 23, 2011.
Reuters Pictures - A boy wearing a military police uniform chants anti-government slogans in a street in Benghazi city, Libya, February 23, 2011. Demonstraters took the uniforms of troops loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi who fled the city over the last few days. Thousands of Libyans celebrated the liberation of the eastern city of Benghazi from the rule of Gaddafi, who was reported to have sent a plane to bomb them on Wednesday as he clung to power. The crew bailed out of the aircraft after it took off from the capital Tripoli. It then came down south-west of Benghazi, Libya's Quryna newspaper cited a military source as saying, averting a fresh bloodshed in almost a week of violence.
Russian citizens, who were evacuated from Libya, leave a plane owned by the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry as they walk along a landing runway at Domodedovo airport outside Moscow on Wednesday. -Vladimir Smolyakov / ReuterS
A Libyan popular defence committee, holds his AK-47 as he flashes V sign in front of an anti-aircraft missile at an abandoned Libyan military base near Tobruk on Wednesday. FEBRUARY 23 - Hussein Malla / AP
Reuters Pictures Protesters are seen close from the sea port of Benghazi city, Libya, February 23, 2011
Reuters Pictures An anti-government protester prays in a state security building taken over by anti-government protesters in Benghazi city, Libya, February 23, 2011.
Reuters Pictures - Protesters put their children on an army tank to take a picture of them in Benghazi city, Libya, February 23, 2011. Thousands of Libyans celebrated the liberation of the eastern city of Benghazi from the rule of Muammar Gaddafi, who was reported to have sent a plane to bomb them on Wednesday as he clung to power. The crew bailed out of the aircraft after it took off from the capital Tripoli. It then came down south-west of Benghazi, Libya's Quryna newspaper cited a military source as saying, averting a fresh bloodshed in almost a week of violence.
Reuters Pictures - A protester covers his face with a Libyan flag as he sleeps in a square where demonstrators chant anti-government slogans in Benghazi city, Libya, February 23, 2011.
Reuters Pictures - A protester holds a poster depicting Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi as he stands over a lamp post in Benghazi city, Libya, February 23, 2011. Thousands of Libyans celebrated the liberation of the eastern city of Benghazi from the rule of Muammar Gaddafi, who was reported to have sent a plane to bomb them on Wednesday as he clung to power. The crew bailed out of the aircraft after it took off from the capital Tripoli. It then came down south-west of Benghazi, Libya's Quryna newspaper cited a military source as saying, averting a fresh bloodshed in almost a week of violence.
Getty Images - Libyan protesters shout anti-Kadhafi slogans during a demonstration in the eastern Libyan town of Derna, between Tobruk and Benghazi, on February 23, 2011 amid reports that Moamer Kadhafi's regime has lost vast swathes of Libya's east to an insurrection.
Getty Images - Libyans shout anti-Kadhafi slogans during a demonstration in the eastern Libyan town of Derna, between Tobruk and Benghazi, on February 23, 2011 amid reports that Moamer Kadhafi's regime has lost vast swathes of Libya's east to an insurrection.
Getty Images - Libyans shout anti-Kadhafi slogans during a demonstration in the eastern Libyan town of Derna, between Tobruk and Benghazi, on February 23, 2011 amid reports that Moamer Kadhafi's regime has lost vast swathes of Libya's east to an insurrection.
Reuters Pictures - Protesters hold a defaced poster of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi during a demonstration in solidarity with the anti-government protests in Libya, in Bern February 23, 2011.
getty Images - Libyans protest in the eastern Libyan town of Derna, between Tobruk and Benghazi, on February 23, 2011 amid reports that Moamer Kadhafi's regime has lost vast swathes of Libya's east to an insurrection.
Reuters Pictures A man (R) who identified himself as being against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi gestures as he holds an AK-47 rifle on the main road in Msaead, east of Libya, February 23, 2011.
Reuters Pictures - A man who identified himself as being against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi gestures as he holds an AK-47 rifle on the main road in Msaead, east of Libya, February 23, 2011.
A Spanish reunites with relatives after arriving from Tripoli to Barajas airport in Madrid, Spain, on Friday, Feb. 23. Repsol, a Spanish oil company, said it is evacuating its staff from Libya with a plane carrying 131 passengers, including 88 Repsol staff, and other passengers including three nuns and the trainer for the Spanish soccer team. Governments around the world scrambled on Wednesday to send planes and ships to evacuate their citizens from turmoil in Libya, whose leader Muammar Gadhafi has vowed to crush a revolt against his 41-year rule. - Juan Medina / Reuters
Reuters Pictures A Tunisian man holds his child as he crosses the border into Tunisia at the border crossing of Ras Jdir after fleeing unrest in Libya February 23, 2011. Thousands of Tunisians are fleeing Libya, many across its western land border, after a bloody crackdown on protests against the rule of Muammar Gaddafi, state media reported on Tuesday. Tunisia has at least 30,000 nationals in Libya and officials fear they could become targets because of Tunisia's role in inspiring uprisings across the Arab world. Tunisia's leader was overthrown in January, and Egypt's president fell on February 11.Tahrir Square in Cairo, on Jan. 30, on the sixth day of protests against long term President Hosni Mubarak's regime.
Reuters Pictures Tunisians cross the border into Tunisia at the border crossing of Ras Jdir after fleeing unrest in Libya, February 23, 2011.
Reuters Pictures - An Egyptian man carries his belongings while crossing the border into Tunisia at the border crossing of Ras Jdir after fleeing unrest in Libya February 23, 2011.
Yannis Behrakis / Reuters A Tunisian woman carries her belongings as she crosses into Tunisia at the Ras Jdir border crossing after fleeing unrest in Libya on Feb. 23. Thousands of Tunisians are fleeing Libya, many across its western land border, after a bloody crackdown on protests against the rule of Muammar Gaddafi, state media reported on Tuesday. Tunisia has at least 30,000 nationals in Libya and officials fear they could become targets because of Tunisia's role in inspiring uprisings across the Arab world.
Getty Images - JDIR - FEBRUARY 23: People who recently crossed the border from Libya into Tunisia try to board a bus for those displaced on February 23, 2011 in Jdir, Tunisia. As fighting continues in and around the Libyan capital of Tripoli, thousands of guest workers and Libyans are fleeing to Tunisia to escape the violence. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has vowed to fight to the end.
Getty Images - Volunteers of the humanitarian group Red Crescent help Tunisians working and living in Libya upon their arrival on February 23, 2011 at the Rad Jdir border post, near the Tunisian city of Ben Guerdane after they fled Libya. Hundreds more Tunisians returned to their country to escape bloody unrest in Libya while demonstrations around the world backed demands for veteran Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi step down. More than 4,000 Tunisians working or living in Libya have returned since Sunday, fearing the deadly violence that erupted last week or being blamed for the uprising after one in Tunisia last month led to others across the region.
Getty Images - Tunisians arrive from Libya, helped by the Red Crescent on February 23, 2011, at the Ras Jdir border post, near the Tunisian city of Ben Guerdane. Thousands more Tunisians returned to their country to escape bloody unrest in Libya.
Getty Images Egyptians return home from the Sallum border crossing with Libya on February 23, 2011 as they flee the political turmoil in the midst of an insurrection against Moamer Kadhafi's regime.
Getty Images A Libyan protestor carries a portriat of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi in front of the Libyan embassy in Kuala Lumpur on February 23, 2011. Some 200 protesters gathered in front of the embassy with banners and placards to condemn the bloody crackdown on anti-government demonstrators in Libya.
An undated photo shows Libyans holding a flag from the pre-Gadhafi era as they take part in an anti-government gathering in the sea port city of Tobruk on Tuesday. FEBRUARY 22 - EPA
FEBRUARY 22: Members of the Libyan opposition who have reportedly gained control of areas in the east of the country chant victory slogans and call for the fall of the Libyan leader, Col. Muammar Gadhafi, in Tobruk, Libya. Gadhafi vowed "to fight to the last drop of blood" as clashes intensified between rebels and his loyalists in the capital, Tripoli, and witnesses described the streets as a war zone. (Ed Ou/The New York Times)
FEBRUARY 22: A boy wears a stolen military uniform during anti-government demonstrations in Tobruk, Libya. (Scott Nelson/The New York Times)
