LONDON: Denmark’s Ministry of Defense has launched an investigation into a 2011 NATO-led airstrike in Libya by the Danish Air Force that killed 14 civilians, the Guardian newspaper reported on Thursday.
It is the first of the 10 countries involved in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) effort to oust Libya’s former leader Muammar Gaddafi from power to admit possible involvement in the killings of civilians.
Ten countries, including six from Europe, took part in NATO’s Operation United Protector, which lasted six months in 2011.
The operation led to the overthrow of the Gaddafi regime, but resulted in more than a decade of instability in Libya, which remains divided today.
Civilians were killed in two incidents in the Danish airstrike. The first airstrike was in June 2011 on Sulman, west of Tripoli, killing 12 civilians, including five children and six members of his family.
In September of the same year, two civilians, a man and a pregnant woman, were killed in an attack by Danish forces on an apartment complex in Sirte.
The location was targeted over unconfirmed reports that a sniper had set up on the roof, the Guardian reported.
The documents show that since early 2012, Denmark has had an informal understanding that its military may be responsible for the civilian casualties identified by the UN commission and Human Rights Watch. It has become clear that
However, the government’s decision not to publicly acknowledge the issue has left relatives of killed civilians unable to seek legal redress.
Khalid Alhamedi, whose wife and child were killed in the June 2011 Suluman attack, tried to bring a legal claim against NATO but was rejected by the Belgian Court of Appeal, and in 2017 the alliance was ordered to file a legal claim against NATO. It was ruled that there was an exemption.
Alhamedi’s father was a senior member of Gaddafi’s government and owned the Suleman mansion, which was the target of the strike.
However, the Libyan national disputed NATO’s claim that the building served as a “command and control node” and described it as a residence.
Alhamedi said he would consider filing a lawsuit against Denmark, finding that the country’s officials were aware of the possibility of civilian casualties more than a decade ago. “We want them to first declare to us their mistake and also apologize,” he added.
The Danish Ministry of Defense said in a statement: “The Minister of Defense has asked the General Defense Command to assess whether the documents in question indicate that there was such a significant impact that an investigation should have been carried out within the coalition or NATO framework at the time. I requested it.”
One new document released in 2012 detailing Denmark’s response to the UN commission’s findings on the Sulman and Sirte attacks states that “civilian casualties… cannot be ruled out.”
“It’s very unfortunate that this report was released at a time when it could have been useful because there wasn’t enough transparency,” said Mark Garlasco, an adviser to the United Nations’ International Commission of Inquiry on Libya. Told.
“This will not only serve as a lesson learned to save lives in the future, but also for the victims of these strikes, who will understand why their families were killed and potentially receive some compensation. So it’s their loss.”
In response to Denmark’s launch of the investigation, NATO officials said the operation in Libya required “unprecedented precision” and “extraordinary care to minimize risks to civilians” .
NATO’s internal investigation into the attack on Libya was complicated by the absence of ground forces in the country that could have been used to assess damage in targeted locations.
“The Libyan authorities have not requested the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to send personnel to review the attack on Libya,” the official added.
Tessa Gregory, a partner at British public law firm Leigh Day, said: “Military operations that allegedly result in civilian casualties ensure that the allegations are properly investigated and that victims are protected under international law.” It is essential that people are provided with sufficient information to seek redress.” and domestic legal mechanisms. Without transparency, a culture of impunity can flourish. ”