Gaddafi forces shell Misratah, 20 dead

Latest reports say forces loyal to embattled Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi have launched new attacks on the western town of Misratah, killing at least 20 people.

Media reports say some 80 others have been wounded in and around the troubled city.

Misratah has been heavily shelled since the conflict began in February.

The city has been largely in the hands of revolutionaries after they drove away regime forces in mid-May.

Opposition sources say Gaddafi’s forces have also shelled their positions in the Western Mountains region.

“They (Gaddafi forces) are shelling Zintan with Grad missiles,” Reuters quoted an opposition spokesman as saying.

Regime forces have also struck the towns of Yafran and Nalut in the region.

The opposition has accused NATO of not doing enough to stop Gaddafi’s forces.

Meanwhile, NATO has denied a report that Libyan forces shot down one of its helicopters in the sea off the coast of the town of Zlitan.

Earlier, Libyan state TV said the chopper was the third NATO aircraft to be targeted by Gaddafi’s forces.

NATO has recently stepped up its air raids over Libya with the introduction of French and British attack helicopters.

NATO fighter jets have been pummeling the Libyan regime’s military installations, communication centers and armories.

Libya has been the scene of fierce fighting between Gaddafi’s troops and anti-regime forces since mid-February. Revolutionary forces want an end to Gaddafi’s decades-long rule.