Lesotho’s army chief shot dead by soldiers

MASERU: Lesotho’s army commander was shot dead by rival officers at a military barracks on Tuesday, an official told AFP, in an apparent assassination set to revive instability in the mountainous African kingdom.

"The commander (Khoantle Motsomotso) has been declared dead," a military official who declined to be named told AFP, adding that two senior officers behind the attack were also killed in the shoot-out.

The military official said the two senior officers had been denied access to Motsomotso’s office by army guards. "They attempted to forcefully enter, there was a shoot-out between the two, their companion who has since fled, and the commander’s bodyguards," he said.