A NATO air strike has killed at least five rebels near the Libyan port of Brega, as insurgents reported that Muammar Gaddafi's forces killed five more in Misrata.
Wounded rebels being brought to a hospital in Ajdabiya in rebel-held east Libya said their position was hit by an air strike outside the contested port.
'It was a NATO air strike on us. We were near our vehicles near Brega,' wounded fighter Younes Jumaa said from his stretcher at the hospital.
Nurse Mohamed Ali said at least five rebels were dead. There has been no immediate comment from NATO.
It was the second time in less than a week that rebels have blamed NATO for bombing their comrades by mistake. An air strike killed 13 rebels in the area on Saturday.
The rebels have been fighting to take control of Brega from forces loyal to Gaddafi for a week in a see-saw battle along the Mediterranean coast.
Rebel spokesmen also told Reuters that Gaddafi forces killed five people and wounded 25 in an artillery bombardment of the isolated western city of Misrata.
The barrage forced the temporary closing of Misrata's port, which is a vital lifeline for supplies to besieged civilians
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed concern about deteriorating conditions for civilians in Misrata and Zintan in the west, and Brega in the east.
He said the situation in Misrata was particularly serious and called for an immediate end to all attacks against civilians.
Meanwhile, Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim told reporters the British air force had damaged an oil pipeline in a strike against the Sarir oilfield that killed three guards.
NATO denied any alliance air strikes in the Sarir area and said forces loyal to Gaddafi were responsible for an attack, which started a fire in the oilfield.
It said Gaddafi was trying to disrupt oil supplies to the rebel-held port of Tobruk.
