NATO: Airstrike mistakenly hit Libyan rebels

Associated Press

TRIPOLI, Libya

NATO said Saturday it mistakenly struck a column of Libyan rebel vehicles in an airstrike near an eastern oil town two days earlier and expressed regret for any casualties that might have resulted.

The alliance has accidentally hit rebel forces before in its air campaign to protect civilians in the civil war between Moammar Gadhafi’s military and the fighters trying to end his more than four decades in power. The rebels also have complained that NATO’s strikes have not helped them gain decisive momentum against the Libyan leader’s better trained and equipped military, which still has firm control over most of western Libya. The rebels control much of the east.

The alliance statement gave no figures on casualties from Thursday’s airstrike but said it regretted “any possible loss of life or injuries caused by this unfortunate incident.”

NATO said its forces spotted a column of military vehicles near the frequent flashpoint town of Brega where forces loyal to Gadhafi had recently been operating and hit them because they believed they posed a threat to civilians.

“NATO can now confirm that the vehicles hit were part of an opposition patrol,” the statement said.

International military forces have had some trouble hitting government troops because of their proximity to civilians. Gadhafi’s troops also have used civilian vehicles, making them difficult to distinguish from rebel forces.

A rebel military spokesman, Abdel-Rahman Abu-Sin, said Saturday that they appreciated NATO’s efforts and understood the difficulty in differentiating between the two sides along shifting front lines.