Africa

Africa

NATO hits revolutionaries in east Libya

19 June 2011 02:15 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has issued an apology over an air strike on the eastern Libyan city of Brega that struck a column of Libya opposition forces, APA reports quoting Press TV.

"NATO can now confirm that the vehicles hit were part of an opposition patrol," AFP cited a statement released by the military contingent on Saturday.

The statement added, "This incident occurred in an area of conflict between (Muammar) Gaddafi forces and opposition forces."

"We regret any possible loss of life or injuries caused by this unfortunate incident," the military force also claimed.

Scores of people lost their lives on June 16 as NATO fighter jets struck opposition forces in Brega.

This is not the first time the military alliance strikes opposition forces in Libya. It has previously targeted revolutionary positions on a number of occasions. NATO officials claim that it is difficult to make a distinction between revolutionary and pro-Gaddafi forces in desert areas of the country as both sides use similar vehicles.

Meanwhile, Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi has vowed to defeat NATO after warplanes of the Western military alliance bombarded parts of the capital Tripoli.

â€œNATO is bound to be defeatedâ€ Gaddafi said in the speech broadcast on loudspeakers in Tripoli’s Green Square as thousands of his supporters held their biggest demonstration in weeks, AFP reported on Friday.

"We are determined to change nothing in our country other than by our own free will ... We are resisting, we are fighting," he noted.