UN says 20 children killed in Misrata and urges ceasefire as NATO announces military strikes against Moammar Gaddafi’s sites

The United Nations appealed on Tuesday for a ceasefire in the Libyan city of Misrata, saying at least 20 children had been killed in attacks by besieging government forces on revolutionists-held parts of the city.

The latest developments came as NATO's commander in chief for the operation in Libya on Tuesday announced military strikes against Moammar Gaddafi's command centers, including Tripoli and a brigade accused of leading attacks on civilians. "NATO will continue its campaign to degrade the Gaddafi regime forces that are involved in the ongoing attacks on civilians," Lieutenant-General Charles Bouchard added.

"NATO conducted multiple deliberate strikes against command and control facilities of the Gaddafi regime last night," the alliance said in a communiqué from its Brussels headquarters. It said these strikes targeted "communications infrastructure used to coordinate attacks against civilians, and the headquarters of the 32nd Brigade located 10 kilometers (just over six miles) south of Tripoli."

Libya's official news agency JANA reported earlier reported that NATO air strikes on Tuesday hit the Libyan capital Tripoli; Sirte, Gaddafi’s home town; and the town of Aziziyah, south of the capital.

Deputy foreign minister Khaled Kaim said these raids were carried out "at the request of the revolutionists who are preparing to carry out massacres in the region."

Early in the afternoon, AFP journalists in Tripoli reported at least one plane flying over the capital.

Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said that his country would a team of experienced military officers to advise Libyan revolutionists fighting Gaddafi’s regime. He said the "military liaison advisory team" would advise the opposition fighters on improving their organization, communications and logistics, but they would not be involved in training or arming them. The government had agreed to send a contingent "drawn from experienced British military officers" to reinforce the diplomatic team already in the opposition stronghold of Benghazi, he added. He insisted the deployment was "fully within the terms" of the UN Security Council Resolution on Libya that authorized international air strikes to protect civilians from Gaddafi’s forces.