Haftar-led LNA claims to have destroyed Turkish drone

Khalifa Haftar-led Libyan National Army (LNA) on Sunday claimed to have destroyed a Turkish drone parked at Mitiga International Airport in capital Tripoli.

"Our fighter [jets] targeted and destroyed a Turkish Bayraktar aircraft as it was taking off," the LNA said in a statement on Facebook, as cited by Al Jazeera. "The aircraft had been prepared to target our armed forces' positions."

The development has come hours after Turkey's Foreign Ministry accused Haftar's forces of arresting six of its citizens, and warned that the LNA would become a "legitimate target" if the citizens were not released immediately.

In the wake of the incident, authorities have suspended flights at the Mitiga airport. Notably, Mitiga was the only functioning civilian airport in Tripoli.

Libya has been largely divided into two factions ever since the death of dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The LNA controls the eastern part of Libya, while the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) governs Libya's western region from Tripoli.

According to diplomats, Turkey in the past has supplied drones and trucks to forces allied to the GNA, while Haftar's LNA has received backing from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.

Fighting broke out between the LNA and GNA after Haftar's forces launched an offensive in April to retake Tripoli. More than 90,000 people have been displaced ever since the fighting broke out, while over 650 people have lost their lives.

The international community has urged for a peaceful resolution to the intense fighting which has ensued in the African nation.

( With inputs from ANI )