Tripoli, May 22 (IANS/EFE): At least nine soldiers loyal to the internationally recognised Libyan government in Tobruk were killed on Wednesday night amid clashes in the besieged city of Benghazi, according to media reports on Thursday.

Another 35 elite special force soldiers were wounded in the fighting, which erupted in the Leithi neighbourhood.

According to the Daily Libya Herald, this was among the worst attacks endured by the Tobruk-allied army since Gen. Khalifa Hafter launched Operation Dignity one year ago.

Since then, Benghazi has been pounded by bombardments launched by Hafter, a war hero and friend of the late Muammar Gaddafi during the 70s, but later in exile became one of his main opponents.

Hafter's forces have been fighting in Benghazi against jihadi groups like Ansar al-Sharia, in addition to other moderate militias allied to the government in Tripoli, while the ongoing clashes have been one of the main setbacks to UN-sponsored negotiations to achieve a national unity government.

Chaos and civil war have plagued Libya since 2011, when the international community contributed to the overthrow of the dictatorial Gaddafi.