The Hill News

Lawmakers from both parties marked the death of deposed Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi on Thursday morning, but were cautious about unequivocally praising his demise.

Republican members noted that there is still much to do to ensure stability in Libya.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) tweeted: “The death of Muammar Qaddafi marks an end to the first phase of the #Libyan revolution.”

Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) noted on Facebook, tweeted out from his Twitter page, that Gadhafi’s de! ath does not mark the end of the fight:

“While this morning's news from Libya is encouraging, it is important that we don't lose sight of the fact that there are a good number of weapons loose in the country that could be making their way into the hands of terrorists and Islamists. Our policy moving forward must take this into consideration when dealing with the Libyan NTC."

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) said Libya is better without Gadhafi, but added a note of caution: “Never celebrate death of anyone, even bad people. But Libyans are safer now without Khadaffi. Arab world is breaking free.”

Gadhafi was reported dead early Thursday morning, just a few months after Libyan rebels captured the Libyan capital of Tripoli.