Rebels have warned of an impending "massacre" by troops loyal to Muammar Gaddafi if NATO does not intensify its attacks on government forces in and around Misurata, which has been besieged for weeks.
Libyan government forces launched a heavy attack against the coastal city on Thursday, with
dozens of Grad rockets, killing at least 23 people, a rebel spokesman said.Misurata, Libya's third-biggest city, is the only major rebel stronghold in the west of the country. It has been the scene of major fighting between rebels and Gaddafi's forces for several weeks.
He later clarified that those killed had been civilians and not rebel fighters as earlier understood. The death toll from the 90 minute artillery barrage was likely to rise, the spokesman added.
The rocket assault on the residential area near the rebel-controlled port had also prevented a Qatari vessel from docking, another rebel spokesman said. It was not immediately clear what the ship was carrying.
It is difficult to independently verify accounts from western Libya because journalists are prevented from reporting freely. Electricity and communications lines to the city have been cut the city faced food shortages.
