TRIPOLI, May 4 (Xinhua) -- The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Saturday condemned the deadly attack carried out by Islamic State (IS) militants on an army training center in the south Libya's Sabha city.
"The UNSMIL strongly condemns the terrorist attack in Sabha, which was claimed by the IS in the Levant and resulted in a number of Libyan casualties. Perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of terrorist activities must be brought to justice," the mission said in a statement.
"This attack serves as a strong reminder to all Libyans, as well as to the international community, that terrorist groups will exploit every opportunity, including the ongoing fighting in Tripoli, to expand their presence in Libya," the statement added.
The mission called on Libyan parties to "to refrain from further military escalation and focus their efforts instead on combating this common enemy."
IS claimed responsibility for an attack on an army training center in the southern city of Sabha, killing nine soldiers.
Sabha, southern Libya's largest city, has been under the control of the eastern-based army, led by Khalifa Haftar.
The army has been leading a military campaign since early April to take over the capital Tripoli from the government.
The fighting has so far killed nearly 400 people, injured almost 2,000 others, and forced more than 50,000 people to flee their homes.
Libya has been suffering escalating violence and political division ever since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011.