Nato 'friendly fire' kills 12 Libyan rebels

Twelve rebel fighters were killed in a "friendly fire" air strike on a building by Nato aircraft in the embattled city of Misrata, witnesses claimed.

Nato later confirmed it had carried out strikes on "a number of combat vehicles" 10 miles south of Misrata's port. It insisted, however, that Nato aircraft had not attacked any buildings in or around the city.

A rebel commander, Abdullah Mohammed, said the deaths of the 12 fighters, and the injuries to five more, were avoidable, but he accepted that it was accidental.