In this Thursday, Sept. 1, 2011 photo, Wasfiya, mother of five young men detained by Gadhafi’s security before the city was taken by the rebel forces, speaks with The Associated Press in Tripoli, Libya. The fate of the five is still uncertain but the family heard from an eyewitness that at least three of them had been executed in Bab al Azizia before the rebels could take Gadhafi’s compound. Across Libya, thousands of people disappeared in the chaos of the six-month civil war that brought down Gadhafi. In the battle for Tripoli alone, hundreds of people killed in late August had to be buried in unmarked graves. Now, as rebel forces tighten their control over Libya, with only a few regime strongholds still putting up a fight, the painstaking process of finding the missing has begun.By KARIN LAUB
Associated Press
TRIPOLI, Libya – In the days since the five brothers vanished at a checkpoint manned by Gadhafi loyalists, a small army of friends and relatives have fanned out across Tripoli.
They have searched hospitals and morgues. They have traveled to nearby farming areas in case the men were taken out of the city. They have talked to rebels and to supporters of Moammar Gadhafi, the ousted ruler.
They have found no sign of the men, aged 21 to 31.