NATO forces flattened a building inside Muammar Gaddafi's Bab al-Aziziyah compound early yesterday, in what his officials said was afailed attempt on the Libyan leader's life.
Nato said the attack was on a communications headquarters used toco-ordinate attacks on civilians. A Libyan spokesman said Gaddafiwas unharmed and state television showed pictures of him meetingpeople in a tent, which it said were taken yesterday.
A press official, who asked not to be identified, said 45 peoplewere hurt in the strike, 15 of them seriously, and some were stillmissing. That could not be independently confirmed.
Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam said the Libyan Government would notbe cowed by such attacks.
"The bombing which targeted Muammar Gaddafi's office today ...will only scare children. It's impossible that it will make usafraid or give up or raise the white flag," he was quoted as sayingby the Jana state news agency.
"You, Nato, are waging a losing battle because you are backed bytraitors and spies. History has proved that no state can rely onthem to win."
Libyan authorities have contacted Russia, China, Italy, Turkeyand other countries to complain about the strike on Gaddafi'scompound, a Government statement said.
The compound has been hit before, but Nato forces appear to havestepped up the pace of strikes in Tripoli in recent days.
A target nearby, which the Government called a car park but whichappeared to cover a bunker, was hit two days ago.
Nato said it was maintaining a "high operational tempo".
Meanwhile, rebels and residents of Misrata said bodies layscattered in the streets of the city and medics struggled to copewith the wounded after some of the bloodiest fighting of a two-month siege.
People emerged from homes after daybreak to scenes of devastationafter Gaddafi's forces pulled back from the city under cover ofblistering rocket and tank fire, said witnesses.
Three corpses were charred beyond recognition from the overnightshelling. A 10-year-old boy was killed as he slept. But many shellsfell on waste ground, residents said. They said the bombardmentstopped when Nato planes flew over.
"Bodies of Gaddafi's troops are everywhere in the streets and inthe buildings. We can't tell how many. Some have been there fordays," said Mohammed Ibrahim, a resident whose cousin was killed atthe weekend.
Footage posted on the internet taken by rebels showed at leastfive abandoned tanks, large-scale destruction and the bodies ofthree Gaddafi soldiers lying in the streets.
Gaddafi's forces said they were pulling back from Misrata lastweek to hand over to local tribal forces, saying Nato strikes hadtaken a toll on them.
Within hours, Misrata suffered some of the fiercest fighting of asiege in which hundreds of civilians have been killed and which hasmade the city a symbol of resistance to Gaddafi.
Rebel spokesman Abdelsalam, said Gaddafi's forces were trying tore-enter the Nakl Thaqeel Road, which leads to the port.
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