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NATO airstrike kills dozens in Libya

05 August 2011 17:54 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The Libyan opposition fighters say at least 32 people have been killed and several others have been wounded in the latest NATO airstrike in the western city of Zlitan, APA reports quoting Press TV.

The revolutionary fighters also say embattled ruler Muammar Gaddafi’s son, Khamis, is among those killed in the NATO bombing.

Opposition sources say Khamis was the commander of Libya’s 32nd Brigade -- one of the most loyal and skilled units among the forces loyal to Colonel Gaddafi.

Khamis’ unit was fighting the revolutionaries in Zlitan that lies between the opposition-held city of Misratah and the capital Tripoli.

However, the death of Khamis has officially been denied by the Libyan government.

Meanwhile, the Libyan State TV says NATO planes bombed targets in southeast Tripoli. Reports say about 10 loud explosions rocked the city overnight.

The US and NATO have unleashed a punishing, UN-mandated offensive against Colonel Gaddafi to pressure him into giving up power.

NATO has conducted thousands of sorties over Libya since it assumed control of a military campaign in late March. The airstrikes by the military alliance have killed dozens of civilians as well as revolutionary fighters.

The US-led military alliance has admitted that its forces have killed scores of civilians and wounded many others in the ongoing aerial attacks on key Libyan cities.

Libya has been the scene of intense fighting between government troops and revolutionary forces since mid-February.

Critics accuse the West of hypocrisy over the offensive on Libya, along with its silence towards the brutal crackdowns on similar anti-regime movements elsewhere in the Arab world, such as in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

Experts say the main motive behind the Western attack on Libya is the vast oil reserves of the North African country.

The conflict has left thousands of people dead and many others wounded.

Revolutionary forces want an end to Gaddafi’s decades-long rule.