The State Department says the Libyan government has fired its ambassador to the United States and replaced him with a loyalist of leader Moammar Gadhafi.
Ambassador Ali Aujali (OH-zha-lee) had announced last week he was siding with Gadhafi’s opponents as protesters clamor for Gadhafi to leave.
State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley says the Gadhafi regime notified the department on Monday that it had fired Aujali.
The Obama administration closed its embassy in Tripoli on Friday after the remaining U.S. diplomats were evacuated but has not broken diplomatic relations with Libya. Last Monday, Aujali joined other Libyan diplomats in calling for Gadhafi to step down although he said he would not resign his post as ambassador.