Qadhafi regime says al Qaeda killed rebel army chief

"By this act, Al-Qaeda wanted to mark out its presence and its influence in this region" of eastern Libya controlled by the rebels fighting to overthrow Qadhafi, Moussa Ibrahim told reporters.

"The other members of the (rebel) National Transitional Council (NTC) knew about it but could not react because they are terrified of Al-Qaeda," he added.

The killing of Yunis was fresh proof that the NTC had no power in Benghazi.

"It is Al-Qaeda that has the power in the east," he said. Benghazi is the city the rebels describe as their stronghold.

"The assassination of Abdel Fatah Yunis was a strong message from Al-Qaeda to the other members of the NTC," Ibrahim added.

Qadhafi's forces had killed 200 Al-Qaeda fighters in fighting near the oil port of Brega, west of Benghazi, said Ibrahim.

"That is why Al-Qaeda reacted," by killing Yunis, he said.

Earlier Friday, one senior opposition figure in Benghazi accused Qadhafi of having played a role in the killing.

"All these are signs Qadhafi was behind it," the official told AFP, asking not to be named.

The strategic eastern oil port of Brega has been one of the main fronts in the recent fighting between the two sides.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011