Libya air force colonel shot dead

A security official in Libya says a well-known air force colonel has been found shot dead hours after he went missing in the country's east.

The official said the body of Col Adam Faraj al-Abdali was discovered early today with shots to his head and chest inside his car near a cemetery in Benghazi.

He said the colonel had gone missing hours earlier and was unreachable.

Col Al-Abdali, in his fifties, had pioneered the use of Russian jets in Libya. The official spoke anonymously because he was not authorised to brief reporters.

Benghazi is a stronghold of militias with roots in the rebel brigades that fought against slain dictator Muammer Gaddafi. It has witnessed a series of attacks targeting officials, judges, activists and clerics. Rarely anyone is apprehended.