A NATO airstrike in which a son and grandson of Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi were killed is being criticized by Libya and Russia as a disproportionate use of force. The attack comes as the alliance has been equally criticized by many others as being insufficient in its mission so far, which began on March 19, over six weeks ago.
The Associated Press reports that a Russian lawmaker influential in foreign policy says the West needs to make clear exactly what is the mission of NATO — because to him it now appears to be about killing Gaddafi.
“More and more facts indicate that the aim of the anti-Libyan coalition is the physical destruction of Gaddafi,” Konstantin Kosachyov, who heads the lower house of parliament’s international affairs committee, was quoted as saying.
Kosachyov called on Western leaders to make their position on the airstrikes clear.
“I am totally perplexed by the total silence from the presidents of the United States, France, the leaders of other Western countries,” Kosachyov said in an interview, according to the Interfax news agency. “We have the right to expect their immediate, comprehensive and objective assessment of the coalition’s actions
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