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When a fog of war clears, it looks something like this.
It’s just still not that obvious who is taking responsibility between NATO and the National Transitional Council for the deaths of six people including two children in the Souk Juma district of Tripoli. On June the 21st, it was Nato.
Nearly six months on from what has been described as Nato’s first civilian casualties in Libya, the facts are abundantly clear. The missile that hit the house was a smart bomb. essentially 2000 pounds of concrete dropped from high altitude placed onto the target using JDAM technology.
Buildings reduced to rubble never look intelligent. Neither does the sortie that was supposed to drop 11 meters further south east on another building said to house radio equipment and saif al Islam, one of Gaddafi’s sons. A story contrary to Nato’s and initial reports of anti aircraft weapons near the location.
The only survivor from that fateful June night still finds it hard to talk…
Compensation is not forthcoming from Libya or Nato and it is not just those who have lost family members. In built up areas, others living in the immediate vicinity are also affected. houses can be weakened, burnt out or destroyed. Cracks in houses mirror their sometimes fragmented owners.
Quite how many deaths have been caused by Nato’s bombing campaign is a political hot potato. An independent investigation is unlikely given the organisations stance on what it see’s as a highly accurate and successful campaign. The Numbers who died vary depending on personal views on Libya, as do the theories surrounding who exactly became a legitimate target through the warplanes crosshairs.
George Orwell once mused from his time in war that intelligent people were dropping bombs from above. Fast forward to Libya during the Nato campaign and his words are eerily reminiscent. Further investigations are needed, but while the political will remains as it is, hundreds if not thousands will go on asking the questions NATO and the NTC do not want to answer.