NATO warplanes hit Gaddafi residence

NATO warplanes flying over Libya's airspace

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/180284.html

NATO warplanes have once again launched a series of airstrikes against the Libyan capital of Tripoli, despite criticism that such attacks have failed to protect civilians.

At least two explosions were heard at around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday (1130GMT Monday) in the Bab Al-Aziziya district in Tripoli, where Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's residence is located, AFP reported.

Later in the day, Gaddafi spokesman Moussa Ibrahim told journalists that NATO bombs had struck a police headquarters and Libya's Ministry for Inspection and Popular Control in Tripoli.

Both buildings are located at Al-Jumhuriya Avenue, a heavily populated area in the Libyan capital.

Some employees of the anti-corruption agency were reportedly injured in the attack.

Three explosions were also heard at about 1800 GMT on Monday in the same area.

Earlier, a NATO airstrike targeted a radar station in the heart of a residential area in Tripoli.

NATO warplanes have carried out over 2,500 airstrikes on Libya since late March, under a UN mandate.

The Western alliance force claims that it is targeting pro-Gaddafi troops that have been at war with anti-regime forces since mid-February.

Meanwhile, reports say that many civilians have been killed in the UN-mandated aerial offensives.

NATO itself has admitted to killing revolutionary fighters and civilians in an airstrike in eastern Libya but has refused to apologize for the deadly bombardment.

Meanwhile on Monday, Britain's Defense Secretary Liam Fox announced that NATO and its allies were prepared for a lengthy continuation of their air campaign in the North African country.

Critics accuse the West of hypocrisy over its attacks against Libya, citing its silence towards brutal crackdowns on similar anti-regime movements elsewhere in the Arab world, such as in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.