Bodies of 14 executed in Benghazi found, says medic

BENGHAZI, Friday

A hospital in Libya’s second city Benghazi said today it had received bodies of 14 people killed in execution-style, in what a UN envoy said was a “war crime”.

The unidentified bodies were found on Thursday and brought to the Benghazi Medical Centre by members of the Red Crescent, a doctor at the facility told AFP.

“The bodies bear shots to the head which could mean they were executed,” said the doctor who declined to be named.

UN envoy to Libya Martin Kobler denounced the killings, branding them a “war crime” in a message posted on his Twitter account.

Kobler said he was “utterly shocked and dismayed by the summary execution of a number of people in Benghazi”.

“This is a war crime,” he said in the tweet, calling for an investigation into the murders and for those responsible to be brought to justice.

Benghazi has seen bloody battles for more than two years between forces loyal to the internationally recognised parliament and armed groups, including the jihadist Islamic State group.

Forces loyal to General Khalifa Haftar have regained several districts of Benghazi in recent months but have yet to retake the whole city.

The doctor told AFP that the 14 bodies were found in areas under the control of Haftar’s men.

Security officials in the eastern city of Benghazi contacted by AFP declined to confirm or deny the killings.