NATO Investigates Libyan Claims of Civilian Deaths in Tripoli Air Strike

Tripoli – NATO is investigating Libyan claims that up to seven civilians were killed in an air strike in eastern Tripoli in the early hours of Sunday, Sky News reported.

Reporters were taken by Libyan government officials to a residential area in the Arada neighborhood of the capital and saw a body pulled out of the rubble of a destroyed building.

"There was intentional and deliberate targeting of the civilian houses," deputy foreign minister Khaled Kaaim told reporters at the site. "This is another sign of the brutality of the West."

There were heaps of rubble and chunks of shattered concrete at the scene, which a large crowd of what appeared to be local residents were helping to clear.

At a local hospital, reporters were shown three bodies, including a child, which government officials said were people killed in the air strike.

One of the bodies was covered with debris and dust and reporters were also shown a wounded child.

"Basically, this is another night of murder, terror and horror in Tripoli caused by NATO," government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim told reporters at the hospital.

NATO said in response, "We are aware of reports of an air strike hitting a residential area in Tripoli and are looking into the situation."

The incident occurred just over 24 hours after the Libyan government accused NATO of specifically targeting civilians in its campaign to aid rebels in their war against the regime of leader Moamar Qaddafi.

Also Saturday, a range of international organizations, including the United Nations, the European Union and the Arab League, called for a political process to end the conflict in Libya, AFP reported.

Following a meeting in Cairo they issued a statement in Arabic underlining the importance of "accelerating the launch of a political process that responds to the legitimate aspirations of the Libyan people."