Eastern Libya air force jet shot down by missile over Derna

BENGHAZI -- A fighter jet from eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army was shot down in Dahr Al-Hamer district in Derna and its two crew detained, an air force spokesman said on Saturday.

"A MiG-21 fighter was shot down by a missile after the aircraft carried out an airstrike targeting militants," LNA spokesman for the Benina air base, Naser Hassi, told Reuters.

Derna, which has a history of militancy, is a target for LNA forces, backed by neighbouring Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, as part of Haftar's self-declared war on Islamist militants.