NATO Bombs Libyan Home Killing Nine Civilians, Including Two Babies

NATO, which claims to be attacking Libya in order to enforce a United Nations resolution to protect innocent civilians from dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s forces, has bombed a home killing nine civilians, including two babies. According to the BBC, NATO has admitted to the attack, citing “a weapons system failure” as the reason.

Yesterday’s attack, which took place in a poor neighborhood of the Libyan capital, was meant to destroy a missile site, NATO says. The alliance has expressed regret for the loss of innocent life.

“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,” Lieutenant General Charles Bouchard, commander of Operation Unified Protector, told the BBC. “Although we are still determining the specifics of this event, indications are that a weapons system failure may have caused this incident.”

In addition to the nine killed, another 18 were injured.

Libyan deputy foreign minister Khaled Kaim called the strike a “deliberate targeting of civilian houses,” and another government official labeled it a “pathetic attempt to break the spirit of the people of Tripoli.” This seems highly unlikely, however, as NATO has flown more than 11,500 sorties during Operation Unified Protector and such incidences are uncommon.

The attack does come, however, just days after NATO errantly struck a rebel column near Brega.

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