TRIPOLI, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Libya's UN-backed government on Sunday confirmed that several passengers were injured when the Mitiga international airport of the capital Tripoli was hit by shelling.
According to the Tripoli government's information office, the shelling injured several pilgrims, including children, coming from Saudi Arabia.
The government accused the rival east-based army of the shelling, noting it was "a war crime punishable by international law".
The east-based army, led by General Khalifa Haftar, did not issue any statements so far regarding the incident.
The Mitiga international airport has been hit several times recently as the armed conflict between the eastern army and the UN-supported government continues in and around Tripoli.
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) condemned the attack.
"UNSMIL condemns in the strongest possible terms this attack, which terrorized passengers and airport staff alike. This attack constitutes a direct threat to the lives of pilgrims and other civilian passengers and cannot be justified under any pretext," UNSMIL said in a statement.
Four projectiles landed in the airport, damaging an airplane with dozens of pilgrims on board and injuring two crew members, the statement revealed.
Libya has been struggling to make a democratic transition amid insecurity and chaos ever since the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011.
