NATO strike in Tripoli kills 9 civilians, Libya government says

A NATO strike hit a residential neighborhood in Tripoli on Sunday, killing at least nine people and injuring six, Libya's government claimed.

"This is cold-blooded murder," government spokesman Musa Ibrahim said at the scene in Tripoli. "Is this the protection of civilians? Is this really the search for peace and democracy in the Libya, to attack peaceful neighborhoods of Tripoli?"

NATO said it was looking into the allegations and takes them "very seriously indeed."

The alliance was operating in the area of the alleged strike overnight, Commander Mike Bracken told CNN Sunday. He said NATO was doing everything it could to avoid civilian casualties, citing a case in which a missile had been diverted after it was fired last week.

He said surface-to-air missiles were based in the area that was allegedly hit early Sunday.

On Saturday, the alliance denied earlier Libyan claims it was killing civilians.