The Kingdom then entered the Mediteranean Campaigns, a war against the pirates of the Mediteranean and North Africa. The Italians, along with their French and Iberian allies, entered and occupied cities on the northern coast of Africa. Italy occupied Tripoli, which they used as a springboard for the colonization of Africa. The Royal Italian Army was improved on, as well as the national infrastructure. Meanwhile, their colony in Libya was being improved on as well. Large roads were being built, connecting Tripoli by land to other major cities such as Ghadamis. By the early 1850s, these roads would be replaced by railways.