TRIPOLI, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The eastern-based army of Libya on Tuesday launched three airstrikes on Mitiga International Airport in the capital Tripoli, targeting its military section.
"Three airstrikes were launched by fighter jets of the armed forces. This time, the airstrikes targeted the military section of Mitiga air base," the eastern-based army's information office said in a statement.
"The airstrikes achieved all of their objectives very accurately," the statement added.
It said that airstrikes were also carried out on the city of Sirte, some 450 km east of Tripoli, targeting positions of the rival UN-backed government.
"Any gathering or suspicious movement of the militia (UN-backed government's forces) will be a legitimate target for our fighter jets," the statement said.
For more than five months, Tripoli has been witnessing an armed conflict between the eastern-based army and the UN-backed government over control of the capital.
The fightings have killed and injured thousands of people, and forced nearly 120, 000 people to flee their homes.
Mitiga International Airport has been targeted several times since the beginning of the conflict, with the eastern-based army accusing the UN-backed government of using the airport for military purposes.
Libyan authorities closed Mitiga International Airport earlier this month, after the airport was hit by shelling that injured a few people and damaged a plane.
