DUSHANBE, October 20, 2011, Asia-Plus -- Reports say that toppled leader and the head of his armed forces have both been killed, following the fall of Sirte.

Reuters reports a senior military official of the National Transitional Council (NTC) official has said that Muammar Gaddafi died of wounds suffered in his capture near his hometown of Sirte on Thursday.

National Transitional Council official Abdel Majid Mlegta told Reuters earlier that Gaddafi was captured and wounded in both legs at dawn on Thursday as he tried to flee in a convoy which NATO warplanes attacked.  “He was also hit in his head,” the official said.  “There was a lot of firing against his group and he died.”

There was no independent confirmation of his remarks, Reuters noted.

AFP news agency quoted another NTC official, Mohamed Leith, as saying that Col Gaddafi had been captured in Sirte and was "seriously wounded" but still breathing.

Al-Jazeera reports that the NTC commander said that Moussa Ibrahim, former spokesman for Muammar Gaddafi''s fallen government, was also captured near the Sirte.

Abdul Hakim Al Jalil, commander of the 11th brigade, also said he had seen the body of the chief of Gaddafi''s armed forces, Abu Bakr Younus Jabr.  “I''ve seen him with my own eyes,” he said and showed Reuters a picture of Jabr''s body, Al-Jazeera reported.

Earlier, Jamal abu-Shaalah, a field commander of NTC, told Al Jazeera that the toppled leader had been seized, but it was not clear whether he was dead or alive.

“He''s captured. He''s wounded in both legs ... He''s been taken away by ambulance,” Abdel Majid, a senior NTC military official said.

The news came shortly after NTC claimed capturing Sirte, Gaddafi''s hometown, after weeks of fighting.

According to Al-Jazeera, NATO and the US state department said it cannot confirm the reports of Gaddafi''s death.  Meanwhile in Benghazi, crowds gathered in the streets to start celebrating the reports of Gaddafi''s death.