LIBYA: Rebels say mistake by NATO planes left 12 dead.
At least one NATO warplane attacked a rebel position on the front lines of the besieged city of Misrata on Wednesday, a rebel commander said, killing 12 fighters and wounding five others in what he called an accident that could have been avoided.
Meanwhile, Gene Cretz, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, said Wednesday it is very hard to gauge how many people have died in the past two months but U.S. officials have seen figures ranging from 10,000 to 30,000.
He also described Libya’s Transitional National Council in Benghazi as a “political body that is worth our support,” suggesting that the United States could provide further assistance to individuals seeking to set up an alternative system of governance.
YEMEN: Troops fire into crowd, killing protesters.
Yemeni security forces opened fire on a massive anti-government demonstration in the capital Sana, killing 12 protesters and wounding about 190, a doctor at the scene said.
The violence broke out as about 100,000 government opponents filled a landmark square at the epicenter of the uprising, spilling into the streets around the state TV building.
Also, residents in at least 18 cities and towns across Yemen launched a civil disobedience campaign in an escalation of their uprising to bring down President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Denver Post wire services
