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| NATO strikes rebels |
BENGHAZI : NATO air strike in Benghazi has killed at least 12 rebel fighters on Wednesday in the north-east area of Misurata, According to officials.
Although opposition leaders said it was still unclear whether NATO bombs or rockets and shelling from Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi’s forces killed the men as they drove on a swampy road that leads directly to the port of the coastal city. But a doctor in Misurata told the
Associated Press that the explosions did come from coalition aircraft.Although an opposition spokesman told The Washington Post that 10 fighters died in the attack, the doctor told AP that 12 had been killed.
NATO had no immediate comment.
If the strike was by NATO warplanes, it would mark the third mistaken attack on rebel fighters in opposition territory since the airstrike campaign began several weeks ago.
The port is the lifeline to the besieged city of Misurata, where more than 400 people have been killed in about two months of artillery fire, sniper fire and rocket attacks from Gaddafi’s forces.
Recent attacks by Gaddafi loyalists have focused on the port in an attempt to disrupt the flow aid and weapons being shuttled to the rebels by sea. If the port becomes too dangerous, the rebels will have no access to supplies, deeply impacting their ability to stave off Gaddafi’s offensive.
Rebel leaders therefore have begged for more NATO airstrikes, which they say will help save civilian lives. Even as some have denounced the civilian deaths from errant NATO strikes, the Western coalition has come under intense criticism in Misurata and the opposition east for not doing more to stop Gaddafi’s forces.
Shelling from Gaddafi forces continued on Thursday in the southern area of Karzaz. On Wednesday, at least 13 people were killed, including the fighters killed in the apparent NATO attack.
