Libyan Capital Rocked By New Blasts

Five large explosions have rocked the Libyan capital Tripoli in what is the heaviest night of Nato bombing for over a week.

Shortly after 2am local time there were three loud explosions followed a few minutes later by two more blasts.

Windows in the hotel where international journalists are staying shook from the blasts.

The intended target or targets of the airstrikes is not yet clear, although early reports suggested the compound of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was targeted.

However Moussa Ibrahim, the Libyan government spokesman, told that he did not believe the Gaddafi’s compound had been hit.

“The strikes were in the centre of the city. They were administration buildings and official government buildings.” he said.

“These targets are not military. Why are they targeting them? Nato has not commented on the attack.

Earlier on Monday evening there was another explosion. Shortly afterwards, journalists were invited on a government-organised trip to see the damage.

Officials said four children were wounded, two of them seriously, by flying glass caused by blasts and said the damage was the result of a Nato strike that toppled a nearby telecommunications tower.

The journalists were taken to a government building housing the high commission for children that had been completely destroyed. The old colonial building had been damaged before in what officials said was a Nato strike on April 30.

The Libyan government claimed the site was also part of the parliament and housed an adult education centre.

Hosin Ban Garza worked in the building. He told that he couldn’t understand why the building should be a target.

“Can you see military equipment here?” he said, standing on the rubble.

“There are no military people or equipment here. What they are doing is disgusting.”

The coalition campaign of airstrikes began on March 19 and Nato took over command of the operations on March 31.

The alliance insists that it only targets command and control structures and that it is not targeting individuals, and its UN mandate is to protect civilians.