DUBAI — This could well change the course of the conflict in Libya if it is turns out to be true. Loyal pilots appear to have turned kamikaze killers in the face of stepped up Western air bombardments on strongholds of the Gaddafi regime.

Rumours and speculation were rife on Tuesday as soon as it was reported in some newspapers and agencies that one of the Colonel’s sons had died when a Libyan Air Force plane in flames dived straight into the leader’s Tripoli headquarters. Some reports said the target was a military barrack.

Khamis Gaddafi headed the elite and dreaded Khamis Brigade and was the strongman’s sixth son. He was viewed as a ruthless 27-year-old, who had ordered the killings of his own countrymen.

‘‘He survived the initial compound blast, but died later in a Tripoli hospital,’’ The Sun reported. The newspaper, however, could not confirm the death and quoted an unnamed military insider, who said: “People are trying to find out the fate of this man. He is extremely significant as a close Gaddafi relative and a senior commander.” The regime’s denial of the reports came as no surprise.

The report said the incident happened on Saturday.

According to another report on Algerian TV, the pilot thought it best to crash his stricken jet into the Bab Al Aziziya compound. It did not go into details.

Kamikaze means divine wind in Japanese. Suicide air attacks were first introduced in the closing days of World War II in 1944 by desperate pilots of the imperial Japanese air force against US warships. The planes were used as guided ‘smart’ bombs targeting ships as they went down over the Pacific.

The biggest attack involved 355 kamikaze suicide pilots, who attacked the American fleet off Okinawa, together with 341 conventional fighter aircraft. Six US warships were sunk and 10 were severely damaged in the ensuing battle. — news@khaleejtimes.com