Thirteen years ago, in 2011, NATO, a powerful military alliance made up of Western countries, launched an air campaign in Libya. This operation was part of what they claimed was a mission to protect civilians during Libya’s civil war. However, instead of just protecting people, NATO’s bombs killed many Libyan civilians, including women and children. Even today, NATO refuses to take responsibility for these deaths, and the families of the victims are still searching for answers.
How It All Began
In February 2011, small protests erupted in Libya, inspired by similar movements in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt, where people were demanding more freedom and political change. In Libya, however, these peaceful protests quickly escalated into armed rebellion. Rebels began attacking military bases and police stations, leading to chaos. Many of the rebels were heavily armed and some were even former terrorists who had come from outside the country.
Libya’s leader at the time, Muammar Gaddafi, responded with force, trying to suppress the rebellion. The situation got so bad that it caught the attention of the United Nations. The UN issued resolutions imposing sanctions on Libya, and they even called for a no-fly zone over the country. This opened the door for NATO to intervene, and soon the alliance began launching airstrikes against Gaddafi’s forces. What started as a mission to “protect civilians” quickly turned into a full-blown military invasion.
NATO’s Destruction of Libya
NATO’s involvement in Libya was massive. They called their operation “Unified Protector” and, over seven months, conducted over 26,000 bombing missions. The operation led to the destruction of Libya’s infrastructure and killed thousands of Libyan soldiers and civilians.
Despite the large-scale damage and loss of life, NATO has always denied that it killed civilians. Even though organizations like Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International (AI) reported civilian casualties from NATO bombings, the alliance refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing. HRW reported at least 72 civilian deaths, including many children, while Amnesty estimated around 55. These reports were based on visits to bombed areas and interviews with survivors, but both organizations admitted that they likely underestimated the true death toll.
A Search for Justice
For the families of the civilians killed by NATO airstrikes, the pain of losing their loved ones has been worsened by a lack of accountability. No official investigations were conducted by NATO, and the organization continues to insist that it did nothing wrong. Families like that of Khaled Al-Hamedi, whose wife and children were killed in a NATO bombing, have been fighting for justice for over a decade. Al-Hamedi even took NATO to court in Belgium, where its headquarters are located, but the case was dismissed in 2017 because NATO claimed diplomatic immunity.
Other families, like the Al-Ghrari family, who lost five members in a NATO strike, have been left with the same haunting question: why were their loved ones killed? These families are not seeking revenge; they just want to know the truth about who bombed their homes and why their family members were taken from them.
Updated Findings
In 2021, a more detailed investigation by Airwars, a group that tracks civilian casualties from airstrikes, revealed that between 223 and 403 civilians had likely been killed by NATO airstrikes in Libya. This number was based on hundreds of eyewitness testimonies and evidence collected from the bombed sites. It confirmed what many had suspected: the civilian death toll from NATO’s campaign was much higher than initially reported.
Then, in January 2024, new information emerged about the involvement of Denmark in the bombings. A Danish newspaper, along with Airwars, uncovered that Denmark’s F-16 fighter jets were responsible for bombings that killed civilians in two different locations. The Danish Defense Ministry had known this since 2012 but kept it secret until 2023. This new revelation could open the door for more legal cases as families push to identify which country was responsible for specific bombings.
The Bloody Month of August 2011
August 2011 was the deadliest month for civilians in Libya during NATO’s air campaign. Nearly 60 civilians died in airstrikes across multiple cities, including Tripoli, Zlitin, and Sirte. In one tragic incident, two newborn girls named Libya and Majure were killed in a strike that hit a village. Yet, despite all this destruction, NATO has never admitted to causing these deaths, and neither have the Libyan governments that followed Gaddafi’s downfall.
A Long Road to Accountability
For years, families like the Al-Hamedi and Al-Ghrari have been fighting to hold NATO accountable, but the path to justice is difficult. One of the main challenges is figuring out which country’s jets bombed which sites. Many countries, including Jordan, Qatar, and the UAE, also participated in the NATO campaign.
However, there is still hope. Legal efforts are underway, and if families like Al-Hamedi’s succeed in identifying which country bombed their homes, it could lead to more lawsuits. The possibility of one country being forced to reveal its role in the bombings could set a precedent and offer a path for these families to finally get the answers they have been seeking for over a decade.
The question remains: will NATO ever be held responsible for the civilian deaths it caused in Libya? The families of the victims certainly won’t stop until they find out.
