Khadafy's relatives reportedly flee to Algeria

Tripoli, Libya --

Algeria said Monday that it had allowed a two-vehicle caravan of Moammar Khadafy's relatives, including his second wife and three of his children, into the country. The flight of his family provided powerful new evidence of surrender by the Khadafy clan, as rebels consolidated their hold on Tripoli, the capital.

Khadafy's wife, Safiya, daughter Aisha, and two of his sons, Mohammed and Hannibal, all crossed into Algeria, said Mourad Benmehidi, the Algerian permanent representative to the United Nations. The spouses of Khadafy's children and their children arrived as well, he said.

The announcement was the first official word on the whereabouts of any members of the Khadafy family since the Libyan leader was routed from his Tripoli fortress by rebel forces a week ago, a decisive turn in the conflict.

Throughout Tripoli on Monday, there were signs of a transition under way. In streets freshly decorated with rebel flags, residents preparing to celebrate the end of Ramadan ventured from their homes and visited shops as they reopened. Young men breezily waved cars through checkpoints, which the rebels said they were starting to dismantle because of improving security.

Khadafy's family members entered Algeria through a southerly crossings in the Sahara, arriving in a Mercedes and a bus, Benmehidi said. The exact number of people in the party was unclear, Benmehidi said. While they were fleeing, one of the women in the party gave birth near the border without any medical equipment, the ambassador said. He said Khadafy was not with the group.

"He was not there, and there is no indication of his intending to go to Algeria," Benmehidi said.

The family was allowed in on "humanitarian grounds," he said, and the Algerian government informed the head of the National Transitional Council, the rebel government in Libya, of its decision. There was no official request from the rebels for their return, Benmehidi said.

The whereabouts of Khadafy remained unknown, along with those of his other sons, most notably Seif al-Islam, his second-in-command; Khamis, the head of an elite paramilitary brigade; and Muatassim, a militia commander and Khadafy's national security adviser. A rebel spokesman said Sunday that Khamis Khadafy might have been killed Saturday, but that no positive identification had been made.

On Monday, new hints emerged about the locations of the family and members of its inner circle. A former associate of the Khadafy government spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim, said Ibrahim had sought refuge in Sirte, his hometown. Khadafy is also from Sirte, which remains under the control of his loyalists.

The associate said the Khadafys had stashed large sums of cash to support themselves and to continue paying loyal fighters. Another person who has spoken with family members in the last week said they had indicated they were still in Tripoli. Rebels have said they were exploring the possibility that the Khadafys were hiding in farms on the city's outskirts.

The rebels have said they would not consider their victory complete until they capture or kill Khadafy, who ruled Libya for nearly 42 years.

Algeria is the only North African neighbor of Libya that has not recognized the National Transitional Council as the new government. During the six-month conflict, the rebels repeatedly accused the Algerians of arming the Khadafy government and said they had arrested Algerian nationals fighting for the government.

An Algerian Foreign Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the members of Khadafy's family who entered Algeria were all in Algiers, the capital. The official noted that none of them had been named in warrants issued by the International Criminal Court for possible war crimes charges.

This article appeared on page A - 4 of the San Francisco Chronicle