Tripoli, April 13: NATO has defended the bombing campaign in Libya after some imprecise aerial attacks by the Western military alliance led to civilian causalities.
A top NATO general said on Tuesday that its air campaign had greatly weakened Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s military power.
“NATO has continued to dismantle the fighting ability of the (Muammar) Gaddafi regime throughout the country, with particular attention to the three cities under the most threat, Ajdabiya, Brega and Misrata,” General Mark van Uhm told a news briefing in Brussels.
“With the assets we have, we are doing a great job,” he added
“If you get more, you can do more.”
The remarks come after France accused the NATO of not doing enough to protect civilians in Libya. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said NATO should target heavy weapons used by Gaddafi troops to shell civilian populations.
There are grave concerns regarding the humanitarian situation and the safety of civilians in the city of Misratah which is under siege by Gaddafi forces.
Meanwhile, Libya’s state-run television says a NATO airstrike on the town of Kikla has killed a number of civilians and police officers. It did not give the number of casualties.
NATO has also admitted to killing revolutionary fighters and civilians in an airstrike in eastern Libya but has refused to apologize for the deadly bombing.
Revolutionary forces have recently criticized NATO for its failure to prevent the killing of civilians by Gaddafi troops.
The Western coalition unleashed a major air campaign against regime forces on March 19 under a UN mandate to protect the Libyan population.
Revolutionaries have threatened to ask the United Nations Security Council to suspend the NATO mission in Libya if the military alliance fails to do “its work properly.”
Meanwhile, the African Union has urged the revolutionaries to “cooperate fully” for the implementation of a lasting political solution in Libya.
The call comes a day after the fighters rejected a truce plan proposed by the AU.
The anti-government forces insisted any deal designed to keep Gaddafi or his sons in place would be unacceptable.
——–Agencies