NATO air strike 'kills 12 rebels'

A Nato air strike has killed 12 rebels in the besieged Libyan city of Misrata, a doctor says.

Dr Hassan Malitan said today he was with the men minutes before two missiles slammed into the building where they had been holed up for days.

Malitan says he was driving away from the house on Wednesday afternoon when he heard a loud boom and felt the ground shake.

Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi have been pounding Misrata for weeks trying to seize the Mediterranean coastal city that has been the symbol of the fight against the Libyan ruler as the battlefield stabilised in the eastern half of the country.

Nato, which has not confirmed a hit on Misrata rebels, has targeted Gaddafi’s troops around the city in an effort to stop the bloodshed.