Libya: Rights groups claims NATO committed human rights violations in attacks

  Three Middle Eastern human rights groups have published a report claiming that all three groups in the Libyan conflict NATO, rebels, and Gadaffi loyalist committed human rights violations. The Independent Civil Society Mission to Libya interviewed eye-witness and victims of attacks in areas targeted by NATO air attacks.
   The report  notes that some civilian sites were classified as military targets. The group noted attacks on Sirte in particular. Sirte was one of the last strongholds of Gadaffi loyalists. According to reports 47 civilians were killed in NATO attacks.
  The International Criminal Court said last November it would investigate the actions of NATO forces. Anders Fogh Rasmussen said:"We have carried out this operation very carefully, without confirmed civilian casualties." This type of statement mirrors that of  U.S. authorities about drone strikes.
    UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon joined in the chorus of praise: "Security Council resolution 1973, I believe, was strictly enforced within the limit, within the mandate," What was abundantly clear is that the attacks were designed to help the rebels not protect civilians. When rebels attacked a city there were no attempts to destroy weapons being used to attack. Politicians openly talked of regime change being the aim and obviously arms flowed in from other countries to the rebels and there were even special forces from NATO nations on the ground. For more see this article.