gadaffi excapes Nato bomb

Libyan leader
Moammar Gaddafi escaped a
NATO missile strike in Tripoli that
killed one of his sons and three
young grandchildren, a
government spokesman said
early Sunday. Hours later,
Gadhafi’s forces shelled a
besieged rebel port in a sign that
the airstrike had not forced a
change in regime tactics.
NATO’s attack on a Gadhafi family
compound in a residential area
of Tripoli late Saturday signaled
escalating pressure on the Libyan
leader who has tried to crush an
armed rebellion that erupted in
mid-February.
The alliance acknowledged that it
had struck a “command and
control building,” but insisted all
its targets are military in nature
and linked to Gadhafi ’s
systematic attacks on the
population.
Libyan officials denounced the
attack as a crime and violation of
international law. However,
British Prime Minister David
Cameron, without confirming
fatalities, told the British
Broadcasting Corp. that the strike
was in line with a U.N. mandate
to prevent “a loss of civilian life
by targeting Gadhafi’s war-
making machine.”
A missile in Saif Al-Arab Gaddafi's
house
The attack struck the house of
one of Gadhafi ’s younger sons,
Seif al-Arab, when the Libyan
leader and his wife were inside,
said Libyan government
spokesman Moussa Ibrahim. Seif
al-Arab, 29, and three of
Gadhafi ’s grandchildren, all
younger than 12, were killed.
Journalists taken to the walled
complex of one-story buildings
saw heavy bomb damage. The
blast had torn down the ceiling
of one building. Dust and smoke
rose from the rubble, which
included household items such
as smashed toilet bowls,
bathroom sinks and furniture
among the broken walls and
demolished floors.
When news of the deadly strike
spread, rebels honked horns and
chanted “Allahu Akbar” or “God
is great” while speeding through
the western city of Misrata,
which Gadhafi ’s forces have
besieged and subjected to
random shelling for two months,
killing hundreds. Fireworks were
set off in front of the central
Hikma hospital, causing a brief
panic that the light would draw
fire from Gadhafi’s forces.
On Sunday morning, Gadhafi’s
troops shelled Misrata’s port as a
Maltese aid ship, the Mae
Yemanja, unloaded food and
medical supplies, said Ahmed al-
Misalati, a truck driver helping
move the cargo.