Gaddafi says ready to die a martyr

PanARMENIAN.Net - Embattled Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi told his supporters he is still fighting on the ground and is ready to die a martyr.

"Heroes have resisted and fallen as martyrs and we too are awaiting martyrdom," he was quoted as saying on the website of the now defunct Allibiya state television channel.

The news was broadcast on local radio in Bani Walid, one of his last remaining bastions.

The ousted dictator hailed the fierce resistance that was being put up by his loyalists in the desert city.

Bani Walid, which is 105 miles southeast of Tripoli, has resisted a siege by National Transitional Council forces for several weeks.

The Warfalla tribe which lives in the region was a major source of recruitment for the elite troops of Gaddafi's regime.

The former leader told the tribesmen they were continuing in that martial tradition.

"Through your jihad, you are imitating the exploits of your ancestors. You should know that I am on the ground with you. They lie when they say Gaddafi is in Venezuela or Gaddafi is in Niger. I am among my people and an unexpected shock awaits this clique of agents in the coming days," he said, Skynews reported.