Nato admits airstrike went ‘off target’

“From our initial assessment of the facts, it appears that one weapon did not strike the intended target due to a weapons systems failure. This technical failure may have caused a number of civilian casualties,” Nato spokesman Wing Commander Mike Bracken said.

Speaking in Naples, Italy, Wg Cdr Bracken added: “Nato regrets the loss of innocent civilian lives and takes great care in conducting strikes against a regime determined to use violence against its own citizens.”

Another Nato statement in connection with the weekend’s operations is expected on Monday afternoon.

On Sunday, Libyan officials accused Nato of killing the civilians in the airstrike, in a residential neighbourhood in the capital.

“Basically, this is another night of murder, terror and horror in Tripoli caused by Nato,” government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim told reporters. He said that five families were living in the building which was hit.

Shortly after the strikes early on Sunday, journalists in the Libyan capital were taken by government officials to the burned-out building, which appeared to have been partially under construction.

Later in the day a second survey of the site was organised by government minders.

This is another night of murder, terror and horror in Tripoli caused by Nato. Moussa Ibrahim, Libyan government spokesman

These pictures showed a destroyed building, a car crushed by rubble, and a boy sleeping on the bed in a damaged room.

At a news conference on Sunday, Foreign Minister Abdul-Ati al-Obeidi told reporters that nine civilians, including two children, were killed in the strike and said 18 people were wounded.

He said the strike was a deliberate attack on “a civilian neighbourhood,” and follows other alleged targeting of non-military targets such as a hotel, an oxygen factory and civilian vehicles.

“We hold Prime Minister Cameron, President Sarkozy and President Obama, Prime Minister Berlusconi, legally and morally responsible for these and other crimes committed in the last three months in Libya against civilians,” Mr al-Obeidi said. He did not take questions.

Libya’s Health Ministry claims 856 civilians have been killed in Nato airstrikes since they began in March.