NATO acknowledged Sunday that an air strike in Tripoli aimed at taking out a military missile site may have inadvertently killed Libyan civilians.
“Although we are still determining the specifics of this event, indications are that a weapons system failure may have caused this incident,” Lieutenant-General Charles Bouchard, the Commander of Operation Unified Protector, said in a statement.
The Libyan government has claimed that 15 individuals, including 3 children, were killed in the strike.
Following the strike, Wing Commander Mike Bracken, the spokesperson for the Operation, said “NATO regrets the loss of innocent civilian lives and takes great care in conducting strikes against a regime determined to use violence against its own citizens.”
Added Bracken, “Every mission is planned and executed with tremendous care to avoid civilian casualties.”