Gaddafi's death under probe

Libya's interim leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil said yesterday that a commission of inquiry is to probe the controversial killing of ousted strongman Gaddafi.
"In response to international calls, we have started to put in place a commission tasked with investigating the circumstances of Moamer Kadhafi's death in the clash with his circle as he was being captured," Abdel Jalil said.
He said all Libyans "wanted to try [Gaddafi] for what he has done to them; from executions, to imprisonment, to throwing away the Libyan wealth ... or using that wealth against the Libyan people."
"Some people may have wanted him to have been tried to extend their feeling of relief at his downfall," said Abdel Jalil, who is the leader of the National Transitional Council.
Meanwhile, the bodies of 53 Gaddafi loyalists have been found at a hotel in the Libyan town of Sirte after apparently being executed, a human rights group says.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the victims died about a week ago.
It is the latest accusation of atrocities in Libya committed by both sides during the eight-month conflict.
Libya's new rulers have denied any involvement in abuses and have urged Libyans to forego reprisal attacks.
The discovery comes a day after jubilant crowds across the country took to the streets as the interim government declared national liberation, three days after the death of Muammar Gaddafi.
Disquiet has grown internationally over how the dictator met his end after NTC fighters hauled him out of a culvert where he was hiding following Nato air strikes on the convoy in which he had been trying to flee his falling hometown on Thursday.
NTC leaders, including Abdel Jalil, are adamant he was shot in the head when he was caught "in crossfire" between his supporters and new regime fighters soon after his capture.
"Those who had interest in his speedy death were the ones who supported him," he said. "His speedy death would have been in their interest."
A post-mortem carried out on the former leader's body on Sunday showed he had received a bullet wound to the head, medical sources said.
'HANDS BOUND'
The bodies were found on Sunday on the lawn of the abandoned Hotel Mahari in Sirte, which saw heavy fighting last week as NTC forces battled for control of the town.
"Some had their hands bound behind their backs when they were shot," Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.
"This requires the immediate attention of the Libyan authorities to investigate what happened and hold accountable those responsible."
It is not clear who carried out the killings, reports BBC.
HRW said they believed the hotel had been in the hands of anti-Gaddafi forces from Misrata before the killings, and it remained in their control until the fighting in Sirte stopped on October 20.
On the entrance and walls of the hotel were the names of several anti-Gaddafi brigades from Misrata, HRW added.
"The evidence suggests that some of the victims were shot while being held as prisoners, when that part of Sirte was controlled by anti-Gaddafi brigades who appear to act outside the control of the NTC," Bouckaert said.
Many of the victims suffered bullet wounds to the head, according to an AFP reporter who saw them.
Human Rights Watch also said the remains of 95 people had been found at the site where Gaddafi was captured. They appeared to have died that same day.
HRW, Amnesty International and other rights groups regularly document incidents of atrocities suspected of being carried out by pro- and anti-Gaddafi forces during the conflict.
These include several mass killing sites found in August.