NTC vice chairman Abdul Haftz Ghoga confirms that Muammar Gaddafi has been killed.

European Commission president José Manuel Barroso, and European Council president Herman Van Rompuy call on the NTC to pursue a broad-based reconciliation process following Gaddafi's death.

NTC vice chairman Ghoga says the NTC will announce liberation of all of Libya within hours, or "maybe sooner".

Report from Justyna Pawlak: The European Union urged Libya's interim rulers on Thursday to push for a broad-based reconciliation in the country following the death of deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The president of EU council of member states, Herman van Rompuy, and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said dialogue between all elements of Libyan society was needed for a successful transition to democracy.

"The reported death of Muammar Gaddafi marks the end of an era of despotism and repression from which the Libyan people have suffered for too long," they said in a statement.

"We call on the National Transitional Council to pursue a broad based reconciliation process which reaches out to all Libyans and enables a democratic, peaceful and transparent transition," they said.

Several NTC officials said Gaddafi was killed during a fight for his hometown in Sirte on Thursday. But Western powers, who have backed the rebellion which took the capital Tripoli two months ago, said they were still seeking confirmation.

Hillary Clinton to CBS: If NTC knows Gaddafi is dead it will help transition

Report from Matt Spetalnick, David Morgan and Tabassum Zakaria: U.S. officials scrambled to check reports on Thursday that deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi had died, an outcome that could help stabilize the war-torn North African country.

Gaddafi was wounded in the head and legs as he tried to flee in a convoy that came under attack from NATO warplanes at dawn near his hometown of Sirte, a senior official with Libya's National Transitional Council told Reuters.

Administration officials, including those at the State Department and Pentagon, were was trying to confirm the report.

In the past, some reports about Gaddafi's whereabouts and the fate of his sons have proved false.

NATO said its aircraft attacked two military vehicles near Sirte at about 0830 local time (0630 GMT) on Thursday but could not confirm that Gaddafi was a passenger.

U.S. warplanes were not involved in any air strikes in Libya at that time, a Pentagon spokesman said.

Gaddafi's death followed months of NATO military action in Libya that began over a government crackdown against pro-democracy protesters inspired by protests in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt that ended in the overthrow of longstanding autocratic leaders.

Senator John McCain, top Republican on the Armed Services Committee, said it was time for the United States to deepen its support for Libya's move toward democracy and safeguard human rights.

"The death of Muammar Gaddafi marks an end to the first phase of the Libyan revolution," McCain said in a statement. "Now the Libyan people can focus all of their immense talents on strengthening their national unity, rebuilding their country and economy."

It was not clear if McCain had independent confirmation of Gaddafi's death.

The United States led the initial air strikes on Gaddafi's forces but quickly handed the lead over to NATO, while taking a secondary role to Britain and France.

The NATO bombing campaign helped Libya's rebels take power.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday became the most senior U.S. official to visit Tripoli since Gaddafi's four-decade rule ended in August.

Clinton hailed "Libya's victory." But her visit was marked by tight security in a sign of worries that the country's new rulers have yet to establish full control over the country.

Gaddafi was wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of ordering the killing of civilians.

He was believed to be hiding deep in Libya's Sahara desert. His wife, two sons and a daughter fled to neighboring Algeria shortly after Tripoli fell to rebel forces in August.

Analysis: Libya's next tests: Big expectations, power plays : Jockeying for power among Libya's well-armed and fractious new leadership may intensify after the death of deposed autocrat Muammar Gaddafi, an anxious and, for many, joyous moment in a country hungry for stability and impatient to swap the bullet for the ballot box.

The interim government will be determined to ensure that lingering pro-Gaddafi forces are prevented from launching any rearguard guerrilla insurgency from the countryside that could destabilize the north African OPEC member and its oil industry.

Read more

A Reuters witness sees video of captured Gaddafi son Mo'Tassim, lying on bed, covered in blood, but alive

UK Prime Minister David Cameron says the people in Libya have a greater chance of building a strong and Democratic future after Gaddafi's death

Jibril says has unconfirmed reports that Saif al-Islam Gaddfi is in a convoy fleeing Sirte

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a surprise visit to Libya two days ago:

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Libya Tuesday for an unannounced visit as the Obama administration increased U.S. aid for Libya's transitional government by millions of dollars.

The secretary of state was scheduled to meet with Libyan officials and address a town hall gathering during a short visit. According to Clinton's public schedule, she will meet with Transitional National Council President Mustafa Abdel Jalil, Prime Minister Mahmoud Jabril and members of the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli.

Clinton is the first cabinet-level U.S. official to visit Libya since an uprising drove Qadhafi from power nearly two months ago.

Her visit will coincide with $11 million in new aid for the former rebels in Libya, officials tell the AP. This will bring the United States' total contribution to the rebels to roughly $135 million.

The State Department is also boosting funds and staff to help Libyan officials recover and dispose of weapons from former Libyan dictator Moammar Qadhafi's captured arsenal, including thousands of surface-to-air anti-aircraft missile that have gone missing in the chaos following Qadhafi's ouster, according to the Washington Post.

Further, the aid package includes medical assistance to Libya to help with former rebels wounded in fighting with the Qadhafi regime. This assistance will include parts to fix medical equipment, chemicals needed to run equipment and transportation for the most seriously wounded. 15,000 Libyans are estimated to be wounded.

As part of the aid package, the U.S. will also relaunch the Fulbright scholarship and offer English language training, as well as help fund an archeological project surveying eastern Libya.

In late September, Republican Senators Marco Rubio, John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Mark Kirk went to Libya to meet with members of the Libyan National Transitional Council.

"They [the transitional council] do have significant challenges a lot of the militias that are taking part in the fighting against Qadhafi forces are still not under their control. There are some Islamic elements that, obviously, would like to take over this revolution, which was not a religious one. It's pretty clear that they've got a lot of work to do to unite the country," McCain said at the time.

Despite numerous reports over the past two months as to the whereabouts of ousted dictator Moammar Qadhafi, it remains unclear where he is, or how much influence he still has over the country. Sirte, the dictator's hometown, remains under the control of Qadhafi loyalists.

Son of Muammar Gaddafi, Mo'Tassim, killed by NTC fighters, senior NTC military official Mlegta tells Reuters

NTC's Mlegta says Mo'Tassim Gaddafi was killed while trying to fight off his captors

Al Jazeera Live is showing video of Gaddafi's body in an ambulance in Misrata.