ONE of Libya’s most wanted human traffickers has been killed, Libyan officials have confirmed, fuelling tension in the western part of the country.

Abdel-Rahman Milad, a coast guard commander in the western town of Zawiya, was shot dead on Sunday by unknown assailants in Tripoli, officials said.

Libyan media outlets reported that Mr Milad was shot while he was in his vehicle in the Sayyad area.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for his killing.

There was no comment from the Tripoli-based government of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.

In a Facebook post Moammar Dhawi, a militia leader in western Libya, called for an investigation to bring the killers to account.

In June 2018, the UN security council imposed sanctions on Milad for allegedly engaging in trafficking migrants from Libya. 

And then, in October 2020, Mr Milad was jailed for six months on human trafficking and fuel-smuggling charges.

Mr Milad had denied any links to human smuggling.