Libyan Air Force colonel shot dead

Gunmen have shot dead an air force colonel as he left his home in the eastern city of Benghazi, Libyan security officials say.

It was the latest in a spate of assassinations in Benghazi recently. The killings are blamed on militiamen who fought against Muammar Gaddafi’s forces but now operate outside state control.

The officials say Col Adel Khalil al-Tawahi from Benghazi’s Beninah air base died instantly when gunmen shot him in the chest and head on Thursday.

Air force personnel from that base joined rebel ranks during the early days of the 2011 uprising that toppled Gaddafi.