Libya

Gaddafi Forces Bomb Civilian Areas

Using internationally banned cluster bombs.

Muammar Gaddafi’s forces surrounding Misrata, Libya, have been firing into residential neighborhoods with cluster bombs, which have been banned in much of the world, and other heavy weaponry, The New York Times reports. The bombs in use appeared to be 120-millimeter mortar projectiles which burst over the city and scatter high-explosive bomblets. By nature, they are very imprecise, and place civilians at high risk when fired into populated areas. Gaddafi’s forces have also been firing rockets known as GRADs into civilian areas. Each GRAD rocket, designed in the Soviet Union, is meant to shower a battlefield with multiple explosions. In Misrata, one of the GRAD rockets alone killed eight civilians. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she was not aware of the use of heavy weapons in Misrata, but she was “not surprised by anything that Colonel Gaddafi and his forces do.”