Gaddafi defies Nato with Misrata attack

Muammar Gaddafi's forces have defied Nato warnings , reportedly killing a woman and wounding two children in rocket strikes on Misrata and launching a big attack to the east of the city. The rocket attack in Habara , between the port and city centre, was the first time artillery has inflicted casualties in Misrata since rebel troops pushed government forces out of the city on 12 May. Infantry forces backed by artillery launched a surprise attack on Kararimat, the eastern end of the enclave. The Hikma hospital reported 11 dead and 41 wounded from the attack. Radio Misrata said the rebel frontline had held off the assaults, which continued into the late afternoon. The rebels, who were expecting Gaddafi's forces to attack from the west, were wrong-footed by the assault. "Gaddafi brought his troops around and attacked from the other side," said Adel Ibrahim of Radio Misrata. "Now they are hitting civilian areas. One woman is killed, her children are hurt." The attacks represent an act of defiance from the Gaddafi regime, three days after Nato dropped thousands of leaflets over government lines featuring pictures of an Apache helicopter and warning of attacks if civilian areas were shelled. Nato has been wrestling with the problem of how to respond to continued rocket strikes on the enclave, with British commanders reportedly saying that the Apaches are too vulnerable to risk attacking by day. No Apache strikes have been reported since Friday's attacks, but Nato bombers flew over Misrata earlier in the day, followed by 23 explosions to the west of the city. Ibrahim echoed a common complaint heard across the city as the death toll mounts. "Where is Nato?' he said. "It seems they are on holiday."