Gaddafi's female bodyguards

Two months after he was driven away from power and into hiding, former Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has died; thus ending the nearly 42-year regime that had turned the oil-rich country into an international pariah and his own personal fiefdom.

A 'flamboyant' Colonel Gaddafi, frequently pictured with female bodyguards, said women were not equal to men because they were biologically different, but he nevertheless exhibited them as a symbol of the success of the Libyan revolution. None had a higher profile than his phalanx of female bodyguards, who wore camouflage fatigues, red nail polish and high-heeled sandals, and carried submachine guns.

Here's a look at the women who became synonymous with Gaddafi's political reign.

Colonel Gaddafi, protected by his bodyguards, gives a press conference at the end of a bilateral meeting with the chairman of the European Commission in 2004.

Colonel Gaddafi, escorted by a body guard disembarks at Ougadougou airport on 16 January 2008. (AFP Photo)

President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko and Muammar Gaddafi listen to national anthems during a ceremony of the meeting at the Presidential office in Kiev on November 4, 2008. (AFP Photo)

Colonel Gaddafi is followed by his bodyguard as he leaves the closing session of the 17th Arab Summit in Algiers 23 March 2005. (AFP Photo)

Muammar Gaddafi surrounded by his female bodyguards, attends a meeting with female personalities, 12 December 2007 in Paris. (AFP Photo)

Muammar Gaddafi's female bodyguards, called the "Amazons" are seen during his visit to the Louvre museum. (AFP Photo)

Muammar Gaddafi walks past a Belarus honour guard with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko (R) upon his arrival in Minsk on November 2, 2008.

Libyan soldiers, members of the Revolutionary Guard and bodyguards of former Libyan Leader Muammar Gaddafi present arms in a five-hour military parade to mark the 30th anniversary of the Libyan coup d'etat that brought Gaddafi to power. (AFP Photo)

Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, flanked by one of his bodyguards, listens to a speaker at the opening of the fifth extraordinary session of the heads of member states of the Organisation of African Unity. (AFP Photo)

Muammar Gaddafi, surrounded by his female bodyguards, attends a meeting with female personalities, 12 December 2007 in Paris. (AFP Photo)