Libya says NATO raids killed 718 civilians

Jun 01, 2011 |

AFP via PTI

TRIPOLI

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Libya accused NATO of killing 718 civilians and wounding 4,067 in 10 weeks of air strikes, as African efforts for a truce stalled and Italy said Muammar Gaddafi's regime is 'finished'.

The toll of dead and injured was given yesterday at a news conference in Tripoli by government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim, who also warned the departure of Gaddafi would be a "worst case scenario" for Libya.

"Since March 19, and up to May 26, there have been 718 martyrs among civilians and 4,067 wounded - 433 of them seriously," Ibrahim said, citing health ministry figures which cannot be independently verified.

He said these figures do not include Libyan military casualties, a toll the defence ministry refuses to divulge. Soon after he spoke, four powerful explosions rocked the centre of Tripoli, the target of more and more intensive air raids by NATO warplanes for more than a week, an AFP journalist reported.

The first two blasts rumbled across the city at around 9:45 pm local time as aircraft were heard in the night skies overhead, followed by another two 10 minutes later.

It was not possible to determine the targets, the reporter said.

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