Gaddafi Dead: Officials Debate Where to Bury Dictator's Body Within 24 Hours (PHOTO)
Muammar Gaddafi, the former Libyan leader captured and killed by the coalition forces and rebels Thursday, will be buried according to Muslim rites within the next 24 hours, a Libyan transitional government force commander said in a statement Friday.
"He [Gaddafi] will get his right like any Muslim, his body will be washed and treated with dignity,“ the commander, Abdul-Salam Eleiwa, said, as reported by Reuters. "I expect he will be buried in a Muslim cemetery within 24 hours."
However, Eleiwa said he did not know where in Libya will the former leader be buried.
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The body, which was shown to fighters and a Reuters witness, bore a bullet hole in the side of the head, as well as a large bruise on one side, the news agency reported.
At the moment, the body is being stored in a large cold store in an old market area in Misrata, reported Reuters.
Reuters uploaded on its YouTube account Friday footage (http://youtu.be/jQWPnC74JqM) of Gaddafi's corpse lying on what appears to be a mattress in a meat locker.
The dictator was captured and killed in his hometown of Sirte early Thursday morning by joined forces of the rebel and coalition armies, after eight months of a bloody civil war.
President Barack Obama, speaking from the White House Rose Garden on Thursday, addressed the nation on the news of Gaddafi's death.
"Today, the government of Libya announced the death of Muammar Gaddafi," he said. "This marks the end of a long and painful chapter for the people of Libya who now have the opportunity to determine their own destiny in a new and democratic Libya."
President Obama called in his address upon the Libyan government to respect the human rights of all Libyans. He said that the U.S. understands that Libya will travel "a long and winding road to full democracy" but that ultimately the future of the country is finally in the hands of the people of Libya.
It is now being speculated in the media that Col. Gaddafi’s death will be a boost to the president's stand in public opinion, similar to how the killing of Osama bin Laden reportedly gave Obama a slight boost.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged millions of dollars, totaling about $11 million, in aid to the new leaders of Libya Thursday. The money is to fund medical care for wounded fighters and offer additional assistance in securing and destroying dangerous Gaddafi-era weaponry that many fear could land in the hands of terrorists.
The image below, taken from video provided by Retuers, shows Gaddafi's corpse lying in a meat locker.
