TRIPOLI, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Two children were killed and three other civilians were injured on Tuesday when indiscriminate shelling hit a residential neighborhood in the Libyan capital Tripoli, according to a medical source.
"Due to the violent clashes in the capital, specifically its southern suburb, which continued until the early morning hours, indiscriminate shelling hit an apartment in one of Salahuddin residential buildings, killing two children and injuring three of the same family (the father, the mother and a child)," an official of the Ministry of Health told Xinhua.
"Including today's casualties, seven children have been killed and more than 10 injured since the beginning of the month in different parts of Tripoli, as a result of indiscriminate shelling and airstrikes," the source said.
Ted Chaiban, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, demanded the rival parties in Libya to "refrain from attacks on civilian infrastructure including people's homes, schools, hospitals and medical facilities."
"These recent attacks are a reminder that children in Libya continue to pay first and most as violence continues in a number of areas in the western parts of the country," Chaiban said in a statement.
A few days ago, three children were killed and three others were injured in an airstrike that hit a house in Tripoli.
The UN-backed government has been engaged in a deadly armed conflict against the rival eastern-based army since early April for control over of Tripoli.
Despite international calls for immediate cease-fire, both parties continue fighting in and around Tripoli.
