Gunmen Have Killed Head Of Military Police In Benghazi

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — A Libyan security official says gunmen have killed the head of the regional military police in the eastern city of Benghazi.

The official says masked gunmen fired from a car at Col. Ahmed Mostafa el-Barghathy at his house in Benghazi as he was heading to the mosque to attend Friday prayers. El-Barghathy served in the Libyan army during the reign of the deposed leader Moammar Gadhafi but was one of the first army officers to take up arms against Gadhafi in the 2011 uprising.

Libya has been in turmoil since the end of an eight-month civil war that ousted and killed Gadhafi. Most recently, Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zidan was briefly kidnapped by gunmen in Tripoli.

Benghazi has seen frequent violence in the past year, including killings of security officials and a string of attacks on foreign missions that have driven most of diplomats out of the city.