Libya after Gaddafi

Despite repeated pledges by Libya’s transitional government to find jobs for rebel fighters who swept Moammar Gaddafi from power, tens of thousands of them are still operating in militia groups.

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Feb. 17, 2012

Libyans walk with a giant Kingdom of Libya flag as they celebrate the first anniversary of the uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi, along a street in Benghazi. Libyans took to the streets on Friday to celebrate the anniversary, but some rued the insecurity and disorder that still stalk a country preparing for its first free election. Flag-waving crowds converging on Martyrs Square in the capital Tripoli or Freedom Square in Benghazi, cradle of the revolt, had to negotiate extra checkpoints set up to stop Gaddafi loyalists from disrupting festivities.

ESAM OMRAN AL-FETORI / REUTERS

Feb. 17, 2012

Libyans wave Kingdom of Libya flags as they celebrate the first anniversary of the uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi, along a street in Benghazi.

ESAM OMRAN AL-FETORI / REUTERS

Feb. 17, 2012

Libyans hold the Kingdom of Libya flag as they celebrate the first anniversary of the uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi, along a street in Benghazi.

ESAM OMRAN AL-FETORI / REUTERS

Feb. 17, 2012

Libyans drive with the Kingdom of Libya flag as they celebrate the first anniversary of the uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi, along a street in Benghazi.

ESAM OMRAN AL-FETORI / REUTERS

Feb. 17, 2012

A Libyan waves the Kingdom of Libya flag as he celebrates the first anniversary of the uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi, along a street in Benghazi.

ESAM OMRAN AL-FETORI / REUTERS

Feb. 17, 2012

Libyan women who lost relatives during the uprising against Moamer Kadhafi sit on a pavement as they mark the first anniversary of the uprising in Freedom Square in the eastern city Benghazi.

GIANLUIGI GUERCIA / AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Feb. 17, 2012

A Libyan man prays over his new national flag during Friday prayers as the country marks the first anniversary of the uprising against Moamer Kadhafi in Freedom Square in the eastern city Benghazi.

GIANLUIGI GUERCIA / AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Feb. 17, 2012

Libyan men wave their new national flag and shout slogans following Friday prayers as they mark the first anniversary of the uprising against Moamer Kadhafi in Freedom Square in the eastern city Benghazi.

GIANLUIGI GUERCIA / AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Jan. 14, 2012

An injured Gharyan militia member recovers at Gharyan Hospital, about 50 miles south of Tripoli.

Ismail Zitouny / Reuters

Dec. 19, 2011

The shells of burned cars litter a street in Sirte, Libya, about 225 miles east of the capital Tripoli. Damage is from a ferocious battle between forces loyal to former strongman Moammar Gaddafi and new regime fighters.

Mahmud Turkia / AFP/Getty Images

Dec. 19, 2011

Foreign hospital workers take pictures at the site where ousted Libyan leader Gaddafi was captured by rebel fighters outside Sirte.

Mahmud Turkia / AFP/Getty Images

Oct. 26, 2011

Munition crates are seen at an unguarded storage facility in the desert, about 60 mile south of Sirte, Libya. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Tuesday that immediate American concerns in Libya are focused on the possibility of providing medical assistance to Libya's wounded and preventing the proliferation of weapons.

David Sperry / AP

Oct. 26, 2011

Chemical containers are seen in an unguarded storage facility in the desert, about 60 miles south of Sirte, Libya.

David Sperry / AP

Oct. 26, 2011

A rocket and other weapons are seen at an unguarded storage facility in the desert, south of Sirte, Libya.

David Sperry / AP

Oct. 27, 2011

Libyan women check their house in Bani Walid, Libya, which was damaged during the conflict between rebel fighters and Gaddafi's loyalists.

Ismail Zitouni / Reuters

Oct. 26, 2011

A child stands in the middle of her room, damaged during fighting between pro- and anti-Gaddafi fighters, after her family returned to their home in Sirte, Libya.

Youssef Boudlal / Reuters

Oct. 25, 2011

Two African immigrants dance outside a building they occupy at the Janzur Port makeshift refugee camp in Sidi Bilal, Libya, just outside Tripoli. A community of more than 1,000 African immigrants have occupied the rundown structure, once used by an elite diving unit of the Libyan Navy as a training field. They came from all over the country at the beginning of the revolution in February and sought refuge in the abandoned structure, awaiting an uncertain future in Libya and facing the risk of deportation.

Marco Longari / AFP/Getty Images

Oct. 23, 2011

Women celebrate the liberation of Libya at Freedom Square in Misurata.

Youssef Boudlal / Reuters

Oct. 23, 2011

A Libyan uses his cellphone to photograph fireworks during celebrations in Benghazi.

Francois Mori / AP

Oct. 23, 2011

Libyans celebrate in Benghazi as the transitional government, after months of bloodshed that culminated in the death of longtime leader Moammar Gaddafi, declares the country's liberation official.

Francois Mori / AP

Oct. 23, 2011

Tripoli's military leader, Abdulhakim Belhadj, delivers a speech in Benghazi during liberation celebrations.

Esam Omran al-Fetori / Reuters

Oct. 22, 2011

Anti-Gaddafi fighters sit in one of Moammar Gaddafi's houses in Sirte.

Thaier al-Sudani / Reuters

Oct. 22, 2011

Smoke is seen after anti-Gaddafi fighters set fire to buildings on a street in the devastated area where Gaddafi had been hiding in Sirte.

Thaier al-Sudani / Reuters

Oct. 22, 2011

Libyan revolutionary fighters returning from Sirte are welcomed at al-Guwarsha gate in Benghazi, Libya. Libya's new leaders will declare liberation Sunday, officials said, a move that will start the clock for elections after months of bloodshed that culminated in the death of longtime dictator Moammar Gaddafi.

Francois Mori / AP

Oct. 22, 2011

Revolutionary fighters stand near the bodies of Gaddafi loyalists killed in Sirte, Libya, during the city's fall.

Manu Brabo / AP

Oct. 21, 2011

A Libyan rebel fighter reacts during Friday prayers at a mosque in Sirte.

Thaier al-Sudani / Reuters

Oct. 21, 2011

People celebrate the death of former Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi after Friday prayers at Martyrs' Square in Tripoli. Gaddafi's body lay in a meat storage locker on Friday as arguments over a burial — and his killing after being captured — dogged efforts by Libya's new leaders to make a formal start on a new era of democracy.

Suhaib Salem / Reuters

Oct. 21, 2011

A salesclerk adjusts the TV sets broadcasting news reporting the death of former Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi at a Labi Yamada Denki retailer in Tokyo. Kyodo News reported Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said Friday the death of Gaddafi is "an important event" in the process of creating a new Libya.

Itsuo Inouye / AP

Oct. 21, 2011

Yemeni girls wear party hats that say "Congratulations Libya!" in Arabic during a demonstration in Sanaa demanding the resignation of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Arabic writing on their banner reads,"Friday's victory, after Gaddafi [is] going to be Afash [President Ali Abdullah Saleh], [after] Saif [Gaddafi's son] [is] going to be Ahmad [Saleh's son], and after Muatassim [another Gaddafi son] [is] going to be Ammar [Saleh's nephew]."

Hani Mohammed / AP

Oct. 21, 2011

Libyans line up to view Moammar Gaddafi's body at a shopping center in Misrata. The burial of the slain leader has been delayed until the circumstances of his death can be further examined and a decision is made about where to bury the body, Libyan officials said Friday, as the U.N. human rights office called for an investigation into his death.

Manu Brabo / AP

Oct. 21, 2011

The body of slain Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi is seen inside a storage freezer in Misrata. Gaddafi will be buried according to Muslim rites within 24 hours, a Libyan commander said. The body bore a visible bullet hole in the head.

Saad Shalash / Reuters

Oct. 21, 2011

A man reads a local morning newspaper with the front page featuring a photo and story of Moammar Gaddafi at a newspaper stand in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Anjum Naveed / AP

Oct. 21, 2011

A woman prays as others celebrate the death of Moammar Gaddafi after Friday prayers at Martyrs' Square in Tripoli, Libya. Gaddafi's body lay in an old meat store on Friday as arguments over a burial, and his killing after being captured dogged efforts by Libya's new leaders to make a formal start on a new era of democracy.

Suhaib Salem / Reuters

Oct. 21, 2011

An anti-Gaddafi fighter points to the bodies of Gaddafi loyalists as they lay near their destroyed vehicles after a NATO attack.

Esam Omran Al-Fetori / Reuters

Oct. 21, 2011

A view of a street in the area where Moammar Gaddafi was hiding out in Sirte, Libya. Gaddafi's burial has been delayed until Libya's new rulers decide where to bury him, the oil minister said on Friday. But another transitional government official said there was disagreement over what to do with his body. Gaddafi was captured alive in his hometown of Sirte on Thursday but died while in the hands of fighters in circumstances that are still unclear.

Esam Omran Al-Fetori / Reuters

Oct. 20, 2011

Libyan Americans celebrate the death of Moammar Gaddafi in front of the White House.

Alex Wong / Getty Images

Oct. 20, 2011

Libyan National Transitional Council fighters gather outside large concrete pipes where ousted Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi was reportedly captured in Sirte, Libya.

Philippe Desmazes / AFP/Getty Images

Oct. 20, 2011

Revolutionary fighters celebrate the capture of Sirte.

Manu Brabo / AP

Oct. 20, 2011

Libyan Transitional National Council fighters carry a young man holding what they claim to be the gold-plated gun of ousted Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi at the site where he was captured in the coastal city of Sirte.

Philippe Desmazes / AFP/Getty Images

Oct. 20, 2011

Men take pictures of Moammar Gaddafi's corpse in a house in Misurata, Libya.

Thaier Al-Sudani / Reuters

Oct. 20, 2011

Former Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi, covered in blood, is held on the ground by Transitional National Council fighters in Sirte in this still image taken from video footage. Gaddafi was killed Thursday as Libya's new leaders declared they had overrun the last bastion of his long rule, sparking wild celebrations that eight months of war may finally be over.

/ Reuters

Oct. 20, 2011

Young Libyan national women react to a video showing the moment of Moammar Gaddafi's capture, during celebrations outside the Libyan embassy in London.

Dan Kitwood / Getty Images

Oct. 20, 2011

A revolutionary fighter celebrates in the captured city of Sirte.

Manu Brabo / AP

Oct. 20, 2011

Libyans celebrate at Martyrs square in Tripoli after hearing the news that Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi was killed in Sirte. Gaddafi died while in rebel custody, a senior Transitional National Council official said.

Ismail Zitouni / Reuters

Oct. 20, 2011

An anti-Gaddafi fighter shows the clothes of Moammar Gaddafi near Sirte. Gaddafi was killed on Thursday as Libya's new leaders declared they had overrun the last bastion of his long rule, sparking wild celebrations that eight months of war may finally be over. Details of the death near Sirte of the fallen strongman were hazy but it was announced by several officials of the Transitional National Council and backed up by a photograph of a bloodied face ringed by familiar, Gaddafi-style curly hair.

Thaier al-Sudani / Reuters

Oct. 20, 2011

Anti-Gaddafi fighters celebrate the fall of Sirte in the streets.

Esam Omran al-Fetori / Reuters

Oct. 20, 2011

Anti-Gaddafi fighters in Sirte celebrate the fall of the town. Libyan interim government fighters captured Moammar Gaddafi's home town Thursday, extinguishing the last significant resistance by forces loyal to the deposed leader and ending a two-month siege. The capture of Sirte means Libya's ruling Transitional National Council should begin the task of forging a new democratic system, which it had said it would start after the city, built as a showpiece for Gaddafi's rule, had fallen.

Esam Omran al-Fetori / Reuters

Oct. 20, 2011

Anti-Gaddafi fighters celebrate the fall of Sirte by cheering and firing rounds into the sky. Despite Tripoli’s fall Aug. 21, Gaddafi loyalists had held Sirte, his home town, preventing Libya’s new leaders from declaring full victory.

Esam Omran al-Fetori / Reuters

Oct. 20, 2011

Anti-Gaddafi fighters celebrate the fall of Sirte. The final assault began about 8 a.m. Thursday local time and ended about 90 minutes later. At least 16 Gaddafi fighters were captured, according to the Associated Press.

Esam Omran al-Fetori / Reuters

Oct. 20, 2011

Anti-Gaddafi fighters hug as they celebrate the fall of Sirte.

Esam Omran al-Fetori / Reuters

Oct. 20, 2011

Anti-Gaddafi fighters celebrate the fall of Sirte. Even before the siege, Moammar Gaddafi’s home town appeared to have been largely destroyed, with most of its population fled.

Esam Omran al-Fetori / Reuters

Oct. 20, 2011

An anti-Gaddafi fighter celebrates the fall of Sirte amid buildings peppered with small-arms fire.

Esam Omran al-Fetori / Reuters

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