Witness: NATO airstrike kills 11 rebels in Misrata

quarta-feira, 27 de abril de 2011

Witness: NATO airstrike kills 11 rebels in Misrata

By the CNN Wire Staff
April 27, 2011 -- Updated 2329 GMT (0729 HKT)
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Libyan city looks like a wasteland
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • NEW: NATO spokesman says he knew nothing about the reported deaths
  • All buildings along Misrata's major thoroughfare have been damaged or destroyed
  • Witnesses say three people died after shelling near a refugee camp in coastal Misrata
Misrata, Libya (CNN) -- A NATO airstrike Wednesday on the seaside town of Misrata killed 11 rebel fighters and wounded two others, witnesses told a reporter, who saw the bodies.
Angry survivors told Marie Colvin of The Sunday Times that they and the victims were on the coast, east of a steel plant, when a NATO plane bombed them. There were no other planes in the sky, the survivors said.
NATO spokesman Eric Povel said he knew nothing about the report and would likely not learn more for several hours.
The incident occurred on a day in which pro-government forces launched the heaviest shelling yet on the port of Misrata, much of which appeared to be a wasteland, rebels said.
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"I'm looking around, I can't find a single building that's not either damaged or destroyed," CNN's Reza Sayah said from Tripoli Street, the city's major thoroughfare.
From the time NATO began its operation on March 31 until Tuesday, the organization had conducted 3,981 sorties, of which 1,658 were strike sorties, according to an update issued Wednesday.
In the vicinity of Misrata, six military vehicles, seven technical vehicles and a surface-to-air missile launcher were targeted on Tuesday, it said.
Witnesses said three people were killed and several were wounded after government shells detonated Tuesday near a refugee camp in the critical port area. Thousands of migrants have been housed there as they wait for ships to carry them to safety.
Opposition forces said they believe that, had NATO forces not intervened with air attacks Tuesday night, the shelling would have continued.
NATO is leading an international military operation in Libya that includes airstrikes targeting Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's military resources. It is operating under a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing any means necessary -- with the exception of foreign occupation -- to protect civilians.
A three-member panel arrived in Libya on Wednesday to begin a U.N.-ordered inquiry into reports of violence and human rights abuses. The team, led by Professor Cherif Bassiouni, an Egyptian jurist and war crimes expert, was sent by the Human Rights Council. Fonte CNN

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