Gaddafi has unleashed a new weapon against Libyan revolutionaries — his glamorous daughter, Aisha.
After a counter-attack that pushed revolutionary forces out of Ras Lanuf days after they had gained the town, Gaddafi called in his own daughter to rally support among his troops.
The lawyer, who has represented Saddam Hussein, was pictured among troops in Tripoli waving her father’s flag, the Daily Mail reports. Described as “the Claudia Schiffer of North Africa” for her beauty and style, Aisha’s presence was likely meant to raise morale among Gaddafi’s weary supporters.
“People forget that before he is a great man and a leader, he is also my father, my friend and my brother,” she said. “He is very close to me, and I feel so safe when I am with him.”
Aisha has reportedly become involved in the fight in response to the death of her 27-year-old brother Khamis. Although Libyan state television claims he is alive, Khamis is believed to have been killed by a kamikaze fighter pilot earlier this month.
Due to her continued support of her father, Aisha was stripped of her role as a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador at the start of the protests. She said that claims of human rights abuses in her country’s justice system were “completely groundless” and she “can’t understand why people say that.”