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12 Libyans die in battle for Misratah

13 April 2011 04:27 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Forces loyal to Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi have killed 12 people and injured several others in the Libyan town of Misratah, APA reports quoting Press TV.

A resident told Reuters that 12 people, including a young girl, were killed during heavy fighting between pro-Gaddafi forces and revolutionaries in the besieged city of Misratah on Tuesday.

He said by phone, "Medical workers today collected the bodies of 12 people, mainly civiliansâ€¦ Most of the bodies were retrieved from the area of Tripoli Street. The dead included a three-year-old girl who was shot dead by a sniper along with a 50-year-old man in the west of Misratah, medical workers told me."

Gaddafi forces have laid siege to Misratah and shelled the city for weeks, resulting in heavy civilian casualties.

Libya’s National Transition Council said on Tuesday that pro-Gaddafi forces have killed at least 10,000 people during the fighting in the North African country, adding that another 30,000 have been injured and 20,000 more are still listed as missing, AFP reported.

Dozens of civilians have been killed in Libya since the Western military alliance launched aerial and sea attacks on the North African country.

Human rights groups say Libyan troops have also killed thousands of civilians since a revolution against Colonel Gaddafi began in mid-February.