Seventeen “mercenaries” captured in Libya
A spokesman for Muammar Gaddafi said on Sunday that 17 "mercenaries", including what he called French and British "technical experts" had been captured in the Gaddafi bastion of Bani Walid in Libya.
"A group was captured in Bani Walid consisting of 17 mercenaries. They are technical experts and they include consultative officers," Moussa Ibrahim told Syrian-based Arrai TV.
"Most of them are French, one of them is from an Asian country that has not been identified, two English people and one Qatari," he added.
He said the 17 would be shown on television at a later time, but did not give more details.
It was not immediately possible to verify Ibrahim's claims. The French foreign ministry said it had no information regarding the report.
NATO, French and British officials had on Saturday denied a report by Arrai TV that some NATO troops had been captured by Gaddafi loyalists.
Anti-government protests began in Libya on 15 February 2011, with demonstrators calling for the resignation of Gaddafi who ruled the country for 40 years. Mass protests immediately turned into armed insurrection and civil war.
Gaddafi's forces would have suppressed the protests but for the intervention of NATO aircraft. Libya's capital, Tripoli was taken in late August.
Gaddafi's opponents established Transitional National Council in Benghazi, which was recognized as sole legitimate authority in the country by 60 cuntries, including Russia.
