US Airstrikes Kill Serbian Embassy Staffers Held Hostage By Isis In Libya

[Purveyor]

Source: Guardian UK

Two Serbian embassy staffers who had been held hostage since November died in Friday’s US airstrikes on an Islamic State camp in western Libya that killed dozens, Serbian officials said on Saturday.

Prime minister Aleksandar Vucic said there was no doubt that Sladjana Stankovic, a communications officer, and Jovica Stepic, a driver, were killed in the American bombing. They were taken hostage in November after their diplomatic convoy, including the ambassador, came under fire near the coastal Libyan city of Sabratha.

“Apparently, the Americans were not aware that foreign citizens were being kept there,” Vucic told reporters.

Speaking at a news conference in Belgrade earlier, foreign minister Ivica Dacic said information about the deaths was given to Serbia by foreign officials but had not been confirmed by the Libyan government.

more...

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/20/us-airstrikes-libya-serbian-embassy-staffers-killed

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/20/us-airstrikes-libya-serbian-embassy-staffers-killed

[passiveporcupine]

1. Ah...what's a little more collateral damage?

[farleftlib]

2. War is hell!

Dačić said Serbia had known where the hostages were and had been working to get them back, adding that Libyan troops were considering an operation to free them.

“I believe we had been close to the solution for them to be freed. Unfortunately, as a consequence of the attack against Isis in Libya, the two of them lost their lives,” Dacic said.

“We will seek official explanation from both Libya and the United States about the available facts and the selection of targets.”

He said, according to the information received by the Serbian security services, a criminal group believed to be linked to Isis had demanded ransom for the hostages, whom they were holding at the site that was bombed.

“On the other hand, the American administration said it was an [Isis] training camp,” Dacic said. “This is information that has to be checked.”

Why wasn't this checked before they started dropping bombs on people?

[pampango]

3. Glad there were no hostages (maybe a few children) at the hospitals bombed a few days ago. n/t

[Unknown Beatle]

4. This is getting out of hand.

The US is bombing everything willy-nilly without thought about civilians.