At least 40 civilians died during the bombing of Tripoli

"The airstrikes, which are considered humanitarian, caused dozens of civilian casualties in several neighborhoods in Tripoli," said Vicar Apostolic Giovanni Martinelli.
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Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.
Ažurirano: 31.03.2011. 11:36h

In Tripoli, at least 40 civilians were killed in airstrikes by coalition forces, said the Apostolic Vicar of Tripoli, Giovanni Martinelli.

"The airstrikes, which are considered humanitarian, have caused dozens of civilian casualties in several neighborhoods in Tripoli," Martinelli told the Catholic news agency Fides.

"There were especially victims in the Buslim neighborhood, when a residential building was demolished in the bombing, killing 40 civilians," Martinelli pointed out.

"It is true that the bombings are targeted and hit military targets located in the middle of civilian neighborhoods, but it is also true that the population suffers," Martinelli emphasized.

"Several hospitals were hit yesterday, one of which is located in Misda," Vicar Apostolic in Tripoli Martinelli told Fides.

"The situation in Tripoli is getting more difficult every day, and on the military front, it seems that there has been an impasse, because even the rebels do not have enough strength to advance," said Martinelli.

"That's why I think that a diplomatic solution is the main way to end the bloodshed, which would at the same time give (Moammar) Gaddafi the possibility of a dignified departure," Martinelli pointed out.

Bombed civilian target

The international coalition continued the bombing of targets in Libya on the night between Wednesday and Thursday, and the southern parts of the capital Tripoli were the target. The state agency Jana reported that the target was a "civilian target", without specifying. Eyewitnesses told the Agence France-Presse that planes flew over the eastern and southeastern suburbs of Tripoli.

Then explosions were heard in the Salaheddin region, which is a southeastern suburb, and a military location was targeted, an eyewitness said in a telephone statement to AFP. Muammar Gaddafi took control of the town of Ras Lanuf and continued to advance towards Brega, a town about 80 kilometers from Ajdaabiya that is still in rebel hands.

Ras Lanuf has been under rebel control since March 27.

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