Libya: NATO Air Strikes and Civilian Deaths

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has failed to acknowledge dozens of civilian casualties from air strikes during its 2011 Libya campaign, and has not investigated possible unlawful attacks. NATO’s military campaign in Libya, from March to October 2011, was mandated by the United Nations Security Council to protect civilians from attacks by security forces of then-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. The number of civilian deaths from NATO air strikes in Libya was low given the extent of the bombing and duration of the campaign, however, the absence of a clear military target at seven of the eight sites Human Rights Watch visited raises concerns of possible laws-of-war violations that should be investigated.The eight air strikes that Human Rights Watch investigated resulted in 72 civilian deaths, including 20 women and 24 children.