A government official at the Benghazi Medical Centre said on condition of anonymity on Friday that the handcuffed bodies, which were found on Thursday, bore signs of torture.
Advertisement
UN Envoy to Libya Martin Kobler insisted that the summary executions were clearly war crimes, and demanded an immediate investigation to determine who was responsible for the incident.
For the past two years, Benghazi has been convulsed with fighting between forces led by Brig. France’s Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement that he regretted “the loss of three French officers who died while on mission in Libya” – but gave no further information as to where or how the troops were killed.
Sivan also called for efforts to strengthen national unity and urged all Libyan forces to band together against Islamic State extremists.
Forces loyal to the authorities are gaining grounds in Benghazi but have not yet taken the whole city. It was the first time France has said its forces operate in eastern Libya.
Benghazi has seen some of the heaviest violence of the sporadic conflict that developed after Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was toppled in an uprising in 2011.
Advertisement
The tension could increase after reports that French warplanes bombed sites just outside the eastern city of Benghazi killing 16 militants and forcing the militants to retreat to nearby Edjabia.
