World Bulletin/News Desk

A senior leader of the Ansar al-Sharia militia has been killed in clashes in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, sources said Sunday.

"Sheikh Ahmed al-Zahawi was killed in clashes with 'tyrants'," a militia member, requesting anonymity, told Anadolu Agency.

At least 26 people were killed and 80 others injured Saturday in clashes in Benghazi's Bouatni district between army troops and members of the Ansar al-Sharia militia after the latter attacked an army base in the area.

The violence has forced hundreds of civilians to flee their areas.

Benghazi has been the scene of mounting crime and militancy since the 2011 ouster and death of longtime strongman Muammar Gaddafi.

The city has also witnessed sporadic fighting between forces loyal to renegade general Khalifa Haftar and militias, the latter of which have become a common feature of post-Gaddafi Libya.

In May, Haftar declared war on armed militias based in eastern Libya, vowing to "purge" the country of "extremists."

The Libyan government, for its part, has called the former general's campaign a "coup."