TRIPOLI, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Forces of the UN-backed Libyan government on Sunday announced downing of a fighter jet of the eastern-based army in the south of the capital Tripoli.
"Our forces took down a war plane of (Khalifa) Haftar who is attempting to carry out an airstrike in southern Tripoli," Mohamed Gonono, spokesman of the government's forces, said in a statement.
The army, led by Khalifa Haftar, has been leading a military campaign since early April to take over western Libya, particularly the capital Tripoli where the UN-backed government is based.
The fighting between the army and the government forces has killed and injured hundreds of people so far, and forced thousands of civilians to flee their homes.
The army is allied with the eastern-based government, as the country is politically divided between western and eastern governments.
Libya has been struggling to make a democratic transition amid insecurity and chaos since the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011.
