2 army soldiers killed in clashes in Libya's Benghazi

TRIPOLI, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- Two of the Libyan eastern-based army soldiers were killed on Wednesday in clashes against extremist groups in the eastern city of Benghazi.

"The military operations are still going on in Ekhrebish area. Two of the army's special forces were killed in clashes against terrorists," Miloud Al-Zwai, spokesman of the army's special forces, told Xinhua, adding that the soldiers were killed by a sniper.

Clashes between the army and extremist groups in Benghazi on Monday killed another two soldiers and injured three others, Al-Zwai said.

A military source told Xinhua on Saturday that conflicts between the army and militants in Benghazi had killed 17 people in November.

Benghazi, Libya's second largest city and the birthplace of the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi, has witnessed a three-year war between the army led by General Khalifa Haftar and extremist groups.

Haftar announced earlier in June the taking over of the entire city of Benghazi and defeating the rival armed groups. However, some militants still remain in the city and mainly use landmines. Enditem