Overview
International focus remains centred around the ongoing conflict atound Bani Walid, 140km southeast of the capital. The 19 October saw the renewed assaults against the town in what appears to have been the fiercest day of fighting so far. Unconfirmed reports subsequently claimed that many had been killed and injured during several days of conflict in the area. On 20 October Khamis Qadhafi, the youngest son of the former Libyan leader was reported to have been wounded and captured in the Bani Walid area. He was later reported to have died en-route to Misrata. His death came a year to the day after his father was captured and killed in Sirte. Confusion also remains about contradictory reports that Moussa Ibrahim, Qadhafi's ex-spokesman, had been captured and around 500 protesters broke into the grounds of Libya's parliament building on 21 October, demanding an end to ongoing operations in Bani Walid.
Reported activity in the east of the country appears relatively subdued, primarily due to the fact that the majority of international attention remains focused on the Bani Walid area. The head of Derna’s local council, Fatah Allah Al Aouwami, escaped a probable assassination attack on 19 October as he returned home after morning prayers. Elsewhere, a grenade was reported to have been thrown at the Muslim Brotherhood’s centre in Al Marj on 21 October and an armed robbery targeted staff atBenghazi’sBeninaInternationalAirporton 22 October. Within Benghazi, demonstrators protesting the ongoing situation in Bani Walid broke into the headquarters of the Libya Al-Hurra TV channel on the evening of 21 October.