Libya must urgently secure weapons hoarded by the Gaddafi regime amid growing fears that smugglers are exploiting the chaos there to loot hundreds of portable missiles and other small arms, western officials have warned.

The US and NATO are pressing the National Transitional Council to make the issue a priority because of concerns that the trade has already begun, with reports that some African mercenaries who fought for Colonel Muammar Gaddafi are returning home laden with weapons.

One anxiety is that Gaddafi's remaining stockpile of shoulder-launched missiles could end up in the hands of terrorists, The Guardian reported.