Human Rights Watch reports the death of 72 innocent civilians during NATO operations against non-military targets. The military alliance says no to an investigation. At least eight sites hit in air strikes were residential compounds without signs of hostile or military activity.

Tripoli (AsiaNews) - NATO does not want to investigate civilian casualties during the Libya War. According to the North Atlantic alliance, air strikes were aimed only military targets and civilian deaths were an unfortunate consequence. For this reason, an investigation is unwarranted for the organisation, this according to a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) that accuses NATO of war crimes in the case of the death of 72 civilians, including 24 children, in raids that had no military-strategic importance.

"NATO took important steps to minimize civilian casualties during the Libya campaign," said Fred Abrahams, special adviser at Human Rights Watch.

According to UN Resolution 1973, which authorised Operation Unified Protector, only military targets were allowed.

To avoid civilian casualties, NATO pilots were under the obligation to divert their mission if there were uncertainties about the nature of the target.

Civilian casualties during operations against military targets can be tolerated and sanctions cannot be imposed on pilots, nor is there any obligation to compensate the families of those who were killed.

However, if the operation did not have any clear military necessity, NATO should open an investigation to punish the culprits and compensate the victims' families.

According to the HRW report, at least eight NATO air strikes hit residential areas that showed no signs of hostile or military action.

The most serious incident occurred in the village of Majer, 160 kilometres east of Tripoli, the capital, on 8 August 2011, when NATO air strikes on two family compounds killed 34 civilians and wounded more than 30, Human Rights Watch said.

A single military-style shirt was found in the rubble. Such items of clothing were commonly worn by ordinary Libyans under the Gaddafi regime.

NATO leaders have refused so far to open an investigation into suspicious civilian deaths.

Officials who led the military operations against Gaddafi have justified their refusal by saying that Libya's Transitional National Council (TNC) has refused to allow the presence of foreign investigators on its territory.

However, TNC sources have said that NATO has not asked for any official investigation in Libya.

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