NATO said Tuesday night that its air strikes near the city of Zliten in western Libya were "legitimate" and that it has no evidence to back up Tripoli's claims that the bombs killed 85 villagers.
According to Radio Free Europe, Colonel Roland Lavoie, the alliance's spokesman for the Libya campaign, said that raids by NATO planes near Zliten were against "a legitimate target." The bombs, he said, were aimed at two former farms used for military purposes by troops loyal to Libyan strongman Muammar Qaddafi.
Col. Lavoie spoke at a video conference held at NATO's Naples headquarters. He said NATO "takes extreme precaution not to harm innocent civilians living or working nearby."
In Libya, government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim told reporters on a guided tour that the village of Majer, south of Zliten, was attacked late on August 8 "to allow rebel fighters to enter" the government-held city from the south.
He said 85 villagers, including 33 children and 32 women, were killed in what he called a "massacre" of civilians.
Libyan state television showed the charred bodies of several children, saying they had been killed in Majer. The television pictures also showed women and children being treated for injuries.