NATO says 'weapons system failure' led to civilian casualties in Tripoli

NATO says 'weapons system failure' led to civilian casualties in Tripoli

2011-06-20 07:25:11 GMT+7 (ICT)

TRIPOLI (BNO NEWS) -- NATO on early Monday morning acknowledged that one of its airstrikes in the Libyan capital on Sunday led to a number of civilian casualties. It attributed the error to a weapons system failure.

The NATO airstrike in one of Tripoli's poorest neighborhoods happened just after midnight local time on early Sunday morning, according to witnesses. Libyan officials claimed the strike killed nine civilians, including two babies, while 18 others were injured.

Due to reporting restrictions, the casualty count could not be confirmed independently as Libyan officials have previously attributed unrelated deaths to NATO airstrikes. In one instance, the victim of a NATO airstrike turned out to be the victim of a car accident.

But NATO admitted on Monday that it struck a residential area when it tried to target a military missile site in Tripoli. "NATO regrets the loss of innocent civilian lives and takes great care in conducting strikes against a regime determined to use violence against its own citizens," said Lieutenant-General Charles Bouchard, Commander of NATO's Operation Unified Protector. "Although we are still determining the specifics of this event, indications are that a weapons system failure may have caused this incident."

Libya has been engulfed in a civil war since an uprising against Muammar Gaddafi's regime began in mid-February. Libyan forces have been accused of violently cracking down on anti-government protesters, resulting in a NATO-led mission to impose a no-fly zone over the North African country. NATO forces have also carried out frequent airstrikes.

At least 5,000 and as many as 13,000 people are believed to have been killed since the uprising began in February.

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