Nato Air Strike Kills Libyan Rebels

'Libyan rebels killed in NATO air strike'

NATO investigating reports that coalition jet struck pro-democracy forces in country's east, killing at least seven. Last Modified: 02 Apr 2011 11:19 Aljazeera

Rebel fighters prayed at the grave of fellow rebels who were killed in what they say was a coalition air strike [Reuters] Pro-democracy forces in Libya say at least seven of their fighters have been killed in a NATO air strike on the outskirts of the eastern town of Brega, as the battle rages on for control of the oil port. NATO said on Saturday that it is investigating reports that a coalition warplane struck pro-democracy forces near the front line of the battle with fighters loyal to the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Burnt out husks of at least four vehicles, including an ambulance, were seen by the side of the road near the eastern entrance to the oil town on Saturday, the Reuters news agency reported. Men prayed at freshly dug graves nearby as they buried their colleagues. "Some of Gaddafi's forces sneaked in among the rebels and fired anti-aircraft guns in the air," Mustafa Ali Omar, a pro-democracy fighter said. "After that the NATO forces came and bombed them." The Libyan government, meanwhile, has produced a video said to show civilians, including women and children, in a Brega hospital. They are believed to have been wounded as they tried to escape the air strikes.