NATO hits house of historic leadership in Libya
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Xinhua, June 20, 2011
NATO airstrikes hit in the wee hours of Monday morning the house of El-Khweldi el-Hamedi, a member of the historic leadership in Sebrata city, some 80 km west of Tripoli, said a Libyan government spokesman.
Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim told Xinhua that at least 13 people were killed in the NATO airstrike, including Hamedi's spouse and son and another ten civilians, adding that Hamedi has survived the NATO missile strike.
NATO has recently been ratcheting up military pressure on the regime of embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to quit.
Libyan officials have continually charged that NATO airstrikes have damaged civilian facilities and killed hundreds of civilians.
The most recent figures from Libya's health ministry show 856 civilians have been killed in NATO air raids since they began in March. The figure could not be independently confirmed.
The world's major powers, the UK, the U.S. and France, started on March 19 to launch strikes from the air and sea against Gaddafi 's forces after the UN Security Council passed a resolution to impose a no-fly zone over Libya and authorize "all necessary measures" to protect civilians in Libya.
NATO formally taken over full command and control of military operations against Libya from the U.S. on March 31.
