Libyan rebels near Ajdabiya 'killed in Nato air strike'

[dipsydoodle]

Source: BBC News 7 April 2011 Last updated at 12:03

Rebels in eastern Libya say their forces have been mistakenly hit in a Nato air raid.

Doctors in Ajdabiya told the BBC 13 rebel fighters had been killed by the strike on a rebel tank position.

The BBC's Wyre Davies reports chaotic scenes on the outskirts of Ajdabiya, with rebel forces in retreat reporting being hit by Nato air strikes.

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One rebel commander told the BBC he saw at least four missiles land among rebel fighters.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12997181

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The reason may be change in tactics. It continues to say "The rebels had been taking a group of tanks, armoured vehicles and rocket launchers near the front line between the towns of Ajdabiya and Brega in more than 30 transporters".

From the air with that hardware they'd have looked like military. On the other hand Gadaffi's troops have gone over to using pickups so from the air they can't be distinguished from rebels.

[jakeXT]

1. They don't even have communication

But by almost all measures by which a military might be assessed, they are a hapless bunch. They have almost no communication equipment. There is no visible officer or noncommissioned officer corps. Their weapons are a mishmash of hastily acquired arms, which few of them know how to use.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/07/world/africa/07rebels.html

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x832813

[dipsydoodle]

2. BBC wording now changed

to say "they MAY have been hit......."

edit - I wish they'd make their mind up - they've now removed "may" again. :(

[No Elephants]

3. Fustercluck?

[WatsonT]

4. Glad we're right in the middle of this

with no easy way to extradite ourselves from the situation.

I mean seriously, who could have predicted that a massive bombing campaign in the middle of a civil war where both sides aren't all that interested in identifying themselves and have no modern communications with NATO would have possibly ended in some unintentional deaths?

This is like a one in a million chance.