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Libyan state media says NATO airstrike kills 15

25 June 2011 20:50 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. Libyan authorities accused NATO of killing 15 people Saturday in an airstrike that hit a restaurant and bakery in the east, though the alliance said there were no indications that civilians had died, APA reports quoting â€œAssociated Pressâ€.
It was the latest outcry from Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s government blaming NATO for killing civilians amid a four-month uprising that has sparked a civil war. NATO insists it does all it can to avoid such casualties.
Libya’s state news agency quoted a military official in Gadhafi’s forces as saying that NATO warplanes hit a number of civilian sites Saturday in the oil-refinery town of Brega, including a restaurant and a bakery.
The official said 15 civilians were killed and 20 wounded in the strike. The JANA news agency also claimed five civilians were killed Friday in Brega as well.
Capt. Rob Leese from NATO’s operational headquarters in Naples said alliance warplanes hit several targets in the vicinity of Brega on Saturday, but dismissed claims that the attacks had resulted in civilian casualties.
"We have no indications of any civilian casualties in connection with these strikes," he said. "What we know is that the buildings we hit were occupied and used by pro-Gadhafi forces to direct attacks against civilians around Ajdabiya."
It was the second day in a row that NATO acknowledged multiple airstrikes on the strategic oil town. The alliance said Friday it hit multiple military command sites near Brega, which has been a frequent flashpoint between rebels and Gadhafi’s forces.
The alliance said Friday that government forces had moved into buildings in an abandoned area of Brega and started using them as military compounds to launch strikes on civilians, putting rebel-held cities such as Ajdabiya and Benghazi at risk.
Reports of civilian casualties have provoked intense anger among many Libyans in the west of the country under Gadhafi’s control.
Images of dead civilians, including young children, described by the government as "martyrs" can be seen frequently at pro-government rallies and on state-controlled television.
NATO is investigating whether one of its airstrikes may have slammed into a civilian neighborhood in Tripoli on June 19, killing several civilians.
A day later, alliance warplanes struck a family compound belonging to a close Gadhafi aide, killing what the Libyan government says was 19 people, including at least three children. NATO called the site was a "command and control" center, and said it regrets any civilian deaths that resulted from the strike.
Meanwhile, at least two explosions could be heard in the capital of Tripoli on Saturday, though it was not immediately clear what the NATO airstrikes may have hit.
The Libyan rebels began their uprising in February against Gadhafi, who has been in power since 1969. The conflict has turned into a civil war, and Gadhafi’s forces are accused of orchestrating deadly attacks on civilians.
The rebels have taken over much of the eastern half of Libya. They also control pockets in the west, including the vital port city of Misrata, about 125 miles (200 kilometers) from the capital.
A coalition including France, Britain and the United States began striking Gadhafi’s forces under a United Nations resolution to protect civilians on March 19. NATO assumed control of the air campaign over Libya on March 31 and is joined by a number of Arab allies.
Britain’s military said its jets had successfully hit a radar station, three command-and-control centers, and a warehouse used to stock military supplies near the Libyan oil town of Brega on Friday â€” badly damaging or destroying all five.
British helicopters dispatched from a Royal Navy warship followed up with further strikes that destroyed three military vehicles and hit infantry positions at various points in the area, including Brega’s airfield, the military said.
The Ministry of Defense said in a statement that while many of the stricken buildings had been commandeered by Gadhafi regime, its forces only struck after "intensive surveillance."