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See what happens when you try to help people who didn’t ask for you to get in their biz? You get put on blast in a ugly, ugly way.

The Libyan government is accusing NATO of bombing residential neighborhoods in the capital, Tripoli, and killing civilians. They’ve already been claiming that foreign forces are attacking non-military targets. Now, two adults and two children are allegedly the victims of NATO’s carelessness.

It was not possible to independently verify the government’s account of what happened and NATO said it was investigating. The alliance has repeatedly insisted it tries to avoid killing civilians.

Whether they are eventually confirmed or not, the allegations are likely to provide supporters of Moammar Gadhafi’s regime a fresh rallying point against the international intervention in Libya’s civil war.

Shortly after the strikes early Sunday, journalists based in the Libyan capital were rushed by government officials to the destroyed building, which appeared to have been partially under construction.

Government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim wasn’t immediately able to provide the number of casualties, but said there were no military facilities anywhere near the damaged building.

Journalists at the scene were later taken to a hospital, where they were shown at least four people said to have been killed in the strike, including the two young children. Foreign reporters in Tripoli are not allowed to travel and report freely and are almost always shadowed by government minders.

“There was intentional and deliberate targeting of the civilian houses,” said deputy foreign minister Khaled Kaim during a visit to the site shortly after reporters arrived. “This is another sign of the brutality of the West.”

Libya’s Health Ministry says 856 civilians have been killed in NATO airstrikes since they began in March. The figure could not be independently confirmed. Previous government tolls from individual strikes have proven to be exaggerated.

Of course we know Gadhafi’s cronies aren’t necessarily the best source of information. But does NATO really value the lives of regular folk in Libya? Or are they just out to prove a point?

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