Gadhafi blames violence on young people, drugs, al Qaeda
February 24, 2011 10:05 a.m. EST
CNN crew greeted as 'liberating heroes'
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Gadhafi says those exploiting youths must be arrested
- NEW: Witnesses report killings in Zawiya
- The Pentagon says it's looking at "all options"
- Government forces tighten their grip on Tripoli, sources say
Benghazi, Libya (CNN) -- Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi on Thursday blamed the violence in his country on young people, who he said are taking some sort of pills and being exploited by Osama bin Laden.
Speaking by phone on state TV as reports came in of pro-Gadhafi forces killing unarmed civilians in the town of Zawiya, Gadhafi said, "Our children have been manipulated by al Qaeda."
"Those exploiting the youth have to be arrested," he added.
Gadhafi also specifically addressed Zawiya, saying, "We shouldn't leave" the town "without any control."
Ten days into the protests that have lost him control of eastern Libya and led prominent members of his own government to defect and join demonstrations, Gadhafi showed no sign of even considering giving up the post he has held for 42 years.
Libyans "run the country," he said, adding, "I have only moral authority."
Gadhafi's characteristically rambling remarks followed reports that anti-government forces have gained control of Zawiya, west of Tripoli.
Witnesses told CNN that at least seven people were killed in bloody clashes in the town Thursday.
A woman who said her son was shot told CNN, "Blood is all over the streets."
A witness said people supporting Gadhafi came into the city square and the clashes began.
In addition, 40 people were wounded, one witness said, adding that the city is controlled by anti-Gadhafi forces.
Protesters have taken over the military base and were distributing weapons to civilians, a witness said.
The woman whose son was shot said unarmed people were being fired on indiscriminately and that she believed far more than seven people were killed.
"We want to call all human beings: Zawiya is finished," she said. "The people is finished. The people is dying."
She said it was not clear who the people were that were shooting. Many seemed to be African mercenaries, but they may have been people from the government or military, she said.
When they saw us arrive, they just exploded with cheers and clapping, people saying "thank you, thank you" in English.
--Ben Wedeman, CNN senior international correspondent
--Ben Wedeman, CNN senior international correspondent
"People are crying," she said, calling for help from the world. "Where is the people? Where is the peace?"
The hospital in Zawiya is "a disaster," she said, adding that some shooters were coming to the hospital and insisting that no one was killed.
CNN could not confirm reports for many areas in Libya. The Libyan government maintains tight control on communications and has not responded to repeated requests from CNN for access to the country. CNN has interviewed numerous witnesses by phone.
Misrata -- also spelled as Misurata -- is now in the hands of the opposition, who have driven out the mercenaries, according to witnesses and multiple media reports. It is the country's third largest city.
Witnesses and reports also said the town of Az Zintan was under opposition control.
The opposition already controls Libya's second-largest city, Benghazi, where crowds cheered as international journalists drove through. The only shooting that could be heard was celebratory gunfire.
"When they saw us arrive, they just exploded with cheers and clapping, people saying 'thank you, thank you' in English, throwing candy and dates inside the car," CNN's Ben Wedeman said.
Men in their 20s were guarding the city with shotguns, clubs or hunting knives.
But the capital, Tripoli, was a different story. Sounds of gunfire erupted at dawn Thursday as chanting crowds fled. Government security forces tightened their grip on the Libyan capital, according to sources. In one of the neighborhoods, no one was allowed in or out.
"There's nobody walking in the street, nobody is trying to get out, even to look through the window," a resident who did not want to be identified for security reasons said. "It's a little scary."
The caller said she is risking her life by talking to the media.
"I've been trying to keep my identity hidden," the woman said. "There are reported kidnappings happening in homes for anybody credible that is talking to the media and giving them the truth about what's happening in Libya."
Governments around the world scrambled to get their citizens out of the country, while leaders asked Gadhafi to halt military actions against demonstrators.
In his strongest and most direct statements to date on the unrest in Libya, U.S. President Barack Obama said a unified international response was forming against Gadhafi's use of violence against protesters.
"The suffering and bloodshed is outrageous and it is unacceptable," Obama said Wednesday.
He announced that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would travel to Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday to join a Human Rights Council meeting to negotiate a resolution on Libya.
The Pentagon is looking at "all options" it can offer Obama in dealing with the Libyan crisis, a senior U.S. military official told CNN, in the first indication the crisis could take on a military dimension.
"Our job is to give options from the military side and that is what we are thinking about now," said the official, who declined to be identified because of the extremely sensitive nature of the situation. "We will provide the president with options should he need them."
CNN's Richard Roth, Waffa Munayyer, Pam Benson, Ben Brumfield, Amir Ahmed, Ingrid Formanek, Eve Bower, Salma Abdelaziz, Mitra Mobasherat and Jaime FlorCruz contributed to this report
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