Libyan Rebels Defend NATO After Errant Strikes

June 23, 2011

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi (file photo)

Libya's rebel military is defending NATO after airstrikes killed a number of Libyan civilians. The show of support follows Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's condemnation of the alliance as murderers

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A rebel military spokesman called NATO a legitimate force that is doing its job, carrying out the United Nations mandate to protect Libyan civilians.

Colonel Ahmed Bani argued that anyone who speaks differently about the alliance or blames them for any shortcomings is against the freedom of the Libyan people. Operating from a United Nations mandate to protect Libyans, NATO's air operation has been a linchpin for the rebels seeking to oust Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

NATO's mission has come under increased scrutiny in recent days, as strikes Sunday and Monday claimed the lives of several civilians, including children, in the west of the country.

Last week, alliance aircraft mistakenly fired on a rebel column in Brega, in the east. NATO expressed regret for the loss of civilian life.

In an audio message broadcast late Wednesday, Gadhafi condemned the strikes, saying NATO was killing "our children and grandchildren."

The Libyan government has repeatedly accused the alliance of deliberately targeting civilians, a charge NATO has called "outrageous."