NATO, which is conducting more air strikes on the Libyan capital of Tripoli, admits it does not know if Moammar Gaddafi is alive or not.

However, a spokesman for the military alliance insisted that the offensive on Libya was not necessarily designed to kill the leader of the war-torn country.

All NATO targets are military targets, which means that the targets we've been hitting are command and control bunkers, said Brigadier General Claudio Gabellini

NATO is not targeting [specific] individuals.

Gaddafi has reportedly not been seen in public since he escaped an air assault on the family compound on April 30 which killed one of his sons, Saif, and some grandchildren.

Gabellini commented on Gaddafi’s status: We don't have any evidence. We don't know what Gaddafi is doing right now. And I tell you the truth we're not really interested in what he is doing,

The British newspaper Guardian reported that Gaddafi’s lengthy absence has sparked rumors that he has died, although the Libyan government has stated that the Colonel is merely mourning the loss of his son and will make a public appearance soon.

Libyan officials have also complained that NATO is seeking to assassinate Gaddafi and that is why he is keeping a low profile.
Still, Gaddafi reportedly did not appear at the funeral for his deceased son or for the grandchildren who perished in the NATO strikes.

A supporter of Gaddafi told the Guardian: “Yes it's true that his absence is strange. He [Gaddafi] was not at his son's funeral and I thought he would be.

A Libyan official told the newspaper: It's obvious that they [NATO] tried to kill him and I imagine his security people have told him to keep a low profile. But it is strange that he has stayed silent since.

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