Reports of civilian casualties are mounting in Libya amidst ongoing U.S.-led air strikes and the Gaddafi regime’s assault on three rebel-held towns. At least 16 civilians were reportedly killed after forces loyal to Col. Muammar Gaddafi resumed an attack on the coastal city of Misurata, shelling an area around the city’s main hospital. Gaddafi forces are also carrying out attacks in the towns of Ajdabiya and Zintan. The Gaddafi regime, meanwhile, has attempted to provide evidence of repeated claims of civilian deaths in U.S.-led air strikes for the first time. Earlier today, Libyan officials showed journalists the bodies of 18 people it said were military personnel and civilians killed in bombing by allied forces. The claim could not be independently verified. Libya’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Khalid Kaim, called for an end to the air strikes.

Deputy Foreign Minister Khalid Kaim: “The air strikes, as what happened today, they didn’t differentiate between the civilians or the armed personnel. To start up the national dialogue and get back life back to normal, the air strikes should stop immediately.”

Aid groups are preparing for a humanitarian emergency in Misurata as the Gaddafi regime’s attacks on the city intensify. The city’s main hospital is said to be overrun with patients and is running low on supplies. The U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya, Rashid Khalikov, warned that civilians are facing growing danger.

Rashid Khalikov: “We are extremely concerned about impact on civilians of the ongoing conflict. And I think one has to understand the humanitarian situation, that it’s not only limited to the requirements in emergency food aid or water supplies or medication supplies or shelter. It’s also protection of people who find themselves in the middle of crossfire.”