43 killed, dozens wounded in airstrike by Libya's eastern army on Merzek

At least 43 people were killed and dozens others injured in an airstrike on the city of Merzek, southern Libya, according to the Government of National Accord (GNA) and a local official.

The GNA's presidential council of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj condemned in a statement on Monday the attack that targeted al-Qala'a, a residential section in Merzek that took place Sunday evening.

Ibrahim Omar, a member of the municipal council of al-Qala'a, Merzek, had said earlier on Monday that the airstrike left 42 persons killed and more than 60 others wounded.

Meanwhile, the forces of eastern Libya, which is called the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by General Khalifa Haftar, had announced waging air attack during a late hour on Sunday.

The LNA, in a statement, said that the strike targeted the fighters of the Chadian opposition, the label given by Haftar's forces to the Toubou people, an ethnic group inhabiting northern Chad, northeastern Niger, northwestern Sudan and southern Libya.

The Libyan army is allied with the east-based government, as the north African nation is politically divided between eastern and western governments.