Libyan Authority for Searching and Identifying the Missing Persons said its teams had dug out 12 bodies from two mass graves in Tarhouna's "5km agricultural project area".

The teams found two bodies in the first mass grave and ten in the second, according to the authority's statement on Wednesday.

This comes one day after the killing of Al-Kaniyat militia leader Mohammed Al-Kani who, together with his brothers and group of criminals, is responsible for the discovered mass graves in Tarhouna.

Al-Kani was killed in a farm where he is staying in Buatni, Benghazi, along with his companions. He left Tarhouna to Benghazi after its liberation from Haftar's forces by Libyan Army forces in June 2020.

Haftar-loyal journalist, Mahmoud Al-Musrati, said Al-Kani was killed after he resisted a security force that was executing two arrest warrants issued by civilian and military prosecution for crimes he committed.

Meanwhile, Tarhouna Victims Association called Tuesday for a probe into the killing of Al-Kani as "killing the criminal by illegal means outside the law isn't right because he possesses secrets and details about the mass graves and their perpetrators. Information is needed to bring the culprits to justice. The Public Prosecutor should bring in all criminals who are now in eastern Libya to face justice. The Interior Ministry is also to blame for the lack of security in the east."