With rebel forces taking an increasingly dominant hold in Gadhafi's stronghold of Tripoli, and his forces abandoning him for the opposition, it looks like the nearly 42 years of his rule in Libya have been brought to an end.
In an image taken from footage broadcast on Al-Jazeera television on August 22, 2011, shows Libyan leader Moammer Gadhafi gesturing while delivering a nationwide address in Tripoli. Gadhafi says he will stay in Libya despite the bloody showdown between protesters and his security forces. Libyan rebels have reached the highly symbolic Green Square in the center of Tripoli on August 22, 2011. UPI
United States Rep. Curt Weldon (R, PA) shakes hands with Libyan leader Col. Moammer Gadhafi as Rep. Nick Smith (R, MI) looks on after their meeting in Sirte, Libya March 3, 2004. The Libyan leader said that Libya has turned the page on terror and weapons of mass destruction and seeks better relations with the United States. (UPI Photo/Kenneth R. Timmerman)