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NATO airstrike kills 15 Libyan civilians

NATO warplanes have dropped bombs on the strategically important town of Brega, claiming the lives of at least 15 Libyan civilians, reports say.

Libyan state television said that at least 15 civilians were killed in the airstrike on the outskirts of Brega on Saturday.

“The colonialist crusader Atlantic coalition bombed civilian sites, among them a bakery and a restaurant in Brega, creating 15 martyrs and more than 20 wounded, among them regular clients of those places,” the state TV said.

Sources say the death toll is expected to rise as some of the seriously injured are said to be in critical condition.

The incident comes days after NATO acknowledged that an earlier attack on a residential area of Tripoli had resulted in civilian deaths.

The alliance said its airstrike on Sunday had missed the intended target because of an apparent weapons system failure.

The Libyan government has said at least nine civilians — including toddlers — were killed in that raid.

NATO says its air campaign over Libya is aimed at protecting civilians. However, Libyan officials say hundreds of civilians have died in the bombings.

The Western military alliance has also targeted the positions of opposition forces several times.

NATO has deployed its full range of aircraft in the war on Libya. Many civilians have been killed since the Western-led war on Libya began in March.

Experts say the main motive behind the Western attack on Libya is the vast oil reserves of the North African country.

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