WASHINGTON - The United States does not believe that Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi was among those entering Niger in a convoy, the State Department said on Tuesday.

Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that US ambassador in Niger had discussed the matter with Niger officials. "Apparently, a convoy has entered, and it does include some senior members of the Gadhafi regime, but we do not believe that Gadhafi himself was among them," she told reporters at a regular news briefing.

"We don't have any evidence that Gadhafi is anywhere but in Libya at the moment," she said, adding that the US has not heard about Gadhafi's family members in the convoy.

Press reports said that a large convoy of civilian and military vehicles from Libya crossed into Niger late Monday. Local officials denied that Gadhafi was aboard.

Nuland noted that the US has strongly urged Niger officials to detain the members of the Gadhafi government who may be subject to prosecution, and confiscate any weapons and state property that were found.

She said that the US has been talking in recent days with all of Libya's neighboring states about their UN Security Council obligations.

Rebel troops in Libya are continuing their manhunt for Gadhafi after they captured his stronghold in Tripoli on August 23.