Libya oil raids prompt warnings

LONDON, May 9 (UPI) -- Amnesty International accused forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi of carrying out indiscriminate attacks after weekend shelling of oil tanks in Misurata.

Gadhafi loyalists struck oil tanks in the rebel stronghold of Misurata during the weekend. Witnesses said fuel storage tanks were struck by helicopter gunships, wiping out fuel reserves in the last city in western Libya under rebel control, Voice of America reports.

The bombing follows a decision in April by the U.S. government to allow transactions with international oil trader Vitol or Qatar Petroleum and the rebel-backed Transitional National Council in Libya. Rebel leaders had sketched oil supply agreements with Italian energy company Eni, though no oil shipments have left the country since April.

Gadhafi forces bombed two oil fields under rebel control last month.

Amnesty International complained the latest attacks on Misurata deprived the city of fuel used to generate electricity for hospitals and other vital facilities.

"The use of anti-vehicle mines against Misurata's port is yet more evidence of the Libyan regime's determination to further isolate the city's inhabitants from the outside world and to deny them the humanitarian aid they so desperately need," said Donatella Rovera, a senior adviser at Amnesty International, in a statement.