Defiant Gadhafi Vows to Die a ‘Martyr’ in Libya

In a televised address, a defiant Moammer Gadhafi vowed to fight to the death to hold onto power in Libya despite violent protests.

The protestors, with the backing of defecting army units, now control almost the entire eastern half of Libya’s 1,000-mile Mediterranean coast.

Hundreds have already been killed in the conflict, and the chaos has caused a big spike in oil prices across the globe, but Libya’s embattled dictator refuses to step down.

On Tuesday, Gadhafi urged an all-out war on the protestors attempting to topple his regime.

"We defeated superpowers. We defeated the USA and Great Britain, and we shall remain here, defiant,” he said.

Shouting and pounding his fists during his speech, Gadhafi then called for his supports to attack the protestors.

Despite his apparent fervor to stay, Gadhafi has also seen some of his closest associates leave his regime, including his interior minister.

Opposition groups and Al-Arabiya TV said more than 500 people have been killed thusfar, and nearly 1,400 have gone missing since the revolts began on Feb. 17.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the government of Libya has a responsibility to take actions to end the violence.

The U.S. issued an urgent bulletin on Tuesday, saying it will begin to evacuate Americans from Libya to Malta by ferry on Wednesday.

Libyan-Americans living in Minnesota spoke with FOX 9 News about the news coming out of their home country.

“What can I do?” asked one man, who asked only to be identified as Ali. “It’s very shocking.”

Ali is a real estate broker living in Hugo, Minn., but he was born in Libya and still has close family their. He said he is afraid that the crumbling regime may retaliate against his family if his comments were seen.

“Gadhafi is insane,” Ali said. “I don’t think any human being in his right mind would kill his own people.”

Ali said he is keeping up on the latest developments using Arabic media and social networking sites. He said he believes a cousin of his was killed on the first day of what’s coming to be known as the Feb. 17th Revolution. Another few relatives of his are also missing.

Another local paying close attention to the violence is accountant Rahfat Hussain, who spent the first 13 years of his life in Libya while his father worked in the oil industry there.

“You could tell I was in a police state,” Hussain said.

Now, Hussain said he is hoping the fiery speech Gadhafi gave on Tuesday is his last in power.

“What is happening now is the best thing ever,” Hussain said. “(I) hope they can pull it off.”

Ali is a member of loosely-organized group of Libyan-Americans in the Twin Cities that met with Rep. Keith Ellison on Tuesday to talk about the future of their homeland. They are also planning a rally at the Capitol for Friday afternoon.

The conflict in the oil-rich nation has rocketed costs up to their highest levels in more than two years.