Mohammed al-Kani, militia leader assassinated in Benghazi

Mohammed al-Kani, a Libyan militia leader charged with murdering hundreds of people in the western Libyan town of Tarhuna, was declared dead by various local sources on Tuesday.

Mohamed al-Tarhuni, a militia spokesperson, verified al-Kani’s death.

Al-Kani was the commander of the notorious Kaniyat militia, also known as the 7th Brigade or the 9th Brigade, which was part of Khalifa Haftar’s troops in the east.

According to sources, Al-Kani was slain by the Tariq bin Ziyad militia, which is connected with Haftar’s troops, during a raid on his home.

Since the news and subsequent confirmation of his death, video recordings of scores of people celebrating his death have surfaced in Tarhuna.

Al-Kani and his militia are thought to be responsible for the mass graves discovered in Tarhouna last year, following the withdrawal of the militia after the failure of Hifter’s 14-month campaign to gain control of Tripoli from the UN-recognized government.

Following the defeat of Haftar’s troops in western Libya, the Libyan authorities discovered at least 300 dead corpses in Tarhuna mass graves.

The US Treasury issued sanctions on the Al-Kani militia and its leader in November 2020 for killing people whose remains were discovered in unmarked mass graves, as well as torturing and displacing hundreds more.