Libya's deputy industry minister shot dead

Libya's deputy industry minister, Hassan Darole, was shot dead in Sirte, 500 km east of the capital Tripoli, medical and security sources told Xinhua on Sunday. A security source in Sirte said that Darole was gunned down by unknown militants near Mekmdas market in downtown Sirte during a visit to his hometown. A medical source at Ibn Sina Hospital in Sirte said: "We received Darole's body with several bullet holes." Darole was also a member of the National Transitional Council formed in the wake of the 2011 unrest which toppled the nation's long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi. He was named as undersecretary of the industry ministry and then appointed as deputy minister in the current interim government. Darole's murder marks the first killing of a political figure in Libya after the revolution. While the Libyan authorities are still struggling to establish democratic institutions, the army and police are not on full duty yet as they are under training. Libya has been witnessing sporadic clashes since the collapse of Gaddafi, including waves of attacks against army and security officials.