Gaddafi lashes at west 'colonial plot'

Nato warplanes blitzed a string of military targets in Tripoli yeterday, an official said, as embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi blamed a "colonial plot" for the conflict engulfing his country.
"In Tripoli there were two command and control nodes, two surface-to-air missile launchers and one anti-aircraft gun (hit)," a Nato official said from the mission's headquarters in Naples, Italy.
An AFP reporter said two blasts occurred at 00:50am local time in the area housing Gaddafi's residence in the heart of the capital, followed by others in the city's eastern and southeastern suburbs.
Gaddafi, meanwhile, on late Saturday said in an audio message broadcast on state television that the unrest that has swept his country since a popular uprising erupted mid-February was a "colonial plot." He did not elaborate.
He also denied accusations by international rights groups of a brutal suppression of dissent and allegations that his regime had killed thousands of protesters.
"They lie to you and say, 'Libya kills its people with bullets, that is why we have come to protect civilians'," Gaddafi said, referring to the Nato air campaign which was mandated by the United Nations with the aim of protecting civilians in Libya.
"Only eight people have been killed and an inquiry is under way to determine who killed them. There are no protests and no gunfire. Show us where the thousands of people (reportedly killed) are buried," Gaddafi said.
The latest Nato strikes came after rebel forces said they had lost 16 fighters east of Tripoli and had infiltrated the capital and attacked a regime command post .
Germany said yesterday meanwhile it was making available to the Libyan rebel National Transitional Council up to $144 million in loans for civilian and humanitarian purposes.