TRIPOLI

Three children were killed in mortar shelling by forces loyal to East Libya-based commander Khalifa Haftar, the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) said Tuesday.

The shelling targeted a house in Salahuddin neighborhood in southern Tripoli, the GNA media office said in a statement.

The attack came as fighting escalated between the GNA forces and Haftar's troops in southern Tripoli.

In April, Haftar’s forces launched a military campaign to capture Tripoli from the internationally-recognized GNA. But has so far failed to make advances, beyond borders of the Libyan capital.

Since the ouster of late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in Libya: One in eastern Libya supported mainly by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, and another in Tripoli, which enjoys UN and international recognition.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara