Reply #16: That Canadian general dude did blame it on Moe [View All]

[Baclava]

NATO: Gaddafi's forces to blame for oilfield fire

BRUSSELS, April 7 (Reuters) - NATO blamed forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi for a fire in an oilfield in Libya on Thursday, and denied the Western military alliance had launched air strikes in the area.

"We are aware that pro-Gaddafi forces have attacked this area in recent days, which resulted in at least one fire at an oil facility north of Sarir," Canadian Lieutenant General Charles Bouchard, commander of NATO's operations in Libya, said in a statement.

"To try and blame it on NATO is a clear demonstration how desperate this regime is," he said.

He added that NATO, which is filling a United Nations mandate to protect civilians in Libya through air strikes and enforcement of a no-fly zone, was not conducting strikes in the area because there was no threat to the civilian population there.

"The only one responsible for this fire is the Gaddafi regime and we know he wants to disrupt oil getting to Tobruk," Bouchard said.

http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFBRU01143720110407