Residents of the Libyan capital say 'armed mercenaries' have gone on a shooting spree, carrying out a massacre in Tripoli, a report says.
Armed African mercenaries landed from helicopters in some neighborhoods in the capital and opened fire on 'anyone in the streets,' causing a large number of deaths, AFP reported on Monday, quoting local witnesses.
There has been "a massacre" in the Tajura and Fashlum districts of the Libyan capital, with gunmen indiscriminately shooting people including women, the report added.
"What happened today in Tajura was a massacre," a resident told the agency, adding, "Armed men were firing indiscriminately. There are even women among the dead."
The International Federation for Human Rights said earlier that as many as 400 pro-democracy protesters have so far been killed in the popular Libyan Revolution.
The Paris-based group added that its information came largely from human rights groups in Libya.
This comes as protesters have seized several cities, including Sirte and Benghazi, Libya's second largest city, as several army units have defected amidst a bloody crackdown launched by the Gaddafi regime.
In the meantime, there have been unconfirmed reports that Gaddafi has fled the country.
In a televised speech on Sunday, Gaddafi's son, Seif al-Islam, warned against an ominous civil war in the North African country, saying the pro-democracy revolt will entail "thousands of deaths and rivers of blood will run through Libya."
Libyans, however, disregarded the regime's stark warnings and took to the streets across the country on Monday in the ongoing show of defiance.
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