Libya's fallen leader Muammar Gaddafi died of his wounds on Thursday, a National Transitional Council (NTC) field commander told Xinhua.

The commander, Momhemed Buras Ali Al-Maknee, told Xinhua earlier that a group of fighters from the western Libyan city of Misrata captured Gaddafi in Sirte, who was then severely injured.

The pan-Arab al-Jazeera TV broadcasted image it identified as the corpse of Gaddafi, with eyes half-open, shirt torn apart, and blood around his month and head.

The Dubai-based Al Arabiya TV reported Gaddafi's corpse had arrived in Misrata.

Earlier Al-Jazeera said NATO jets fired at a convoy of cars, probably with Gaddafi onboard, fleeing Sirte.

The pan-Arab TV, meanwhile, quoted Abdel Hakim Belhaj, NTC's military chief in Tripoli as confirming that Gaddafi had been killed.

There are conflicting information on the circumstances surrounding his death. The death has yet to be officially announced by the NTC, with NTC chief Mustafa Abdul-Jalil expecting to address the Libyan people soon.

NTC vice chairman and spokesman Abdel Hafiz Ghoga also confirmed Gaddafi's death, and he said the liberation of Libya will be announced within hours.

The NTC troops and the people of the war-torn country were celebrating following reports on Gaddafi's death, cheering and hoisting NTC flags, Xinhua reporters said.

The 69-year-old leader, whose forces were driven out of capital Tripoli by the now ruling NTC on August 23, had been "leading resistance" against his foes from an undisclosed place in Libya for the past months, according to his spokesman.

On June 27, the International Criminal Court (ICC) had issued arrest warrants for Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi on charges of crimes against humanity, and on September 9, the international police agency INTERPOL issued Red Notice for the three as requested by ICC.

Meanwhile, the commander, Momhemed Buras Ali Al-Maknee confirmed to Xinhua that Gaddafi's son Mutassim was killed in Sirte, several hours after his father died of wounds. He had earlier said Mutassim was captured alive inside the town after NTC fighters overran Sirte's Number Two neighborhood where Gaddafi's loyalists had been cornered.

The commander also said NTC fighters have encircled a place in Sirte where Gaddafi's second son Saif al-Islam was believed to be hiding.

Besides, the al-Jazeera TV footage also showed a body which it said belonged to Gaddafi's defense minister Abu Bakr Younus.

Earlier on Thursday, the same satellite TV had said forces of Libya's NTC have reportedly overrun the last position held by troops loyal to Gaddafi in Sirte, the fallen leader's hometown.

(Xinhua News Agency October 20, 2011)