Tripoli, Nov 25 (IANS): At least nine people were killed and 51 others wounded in clashes that erupted Monday in the Libyan city of Benghazi between the army and the Salafi militia Ansar Al Sharia, according to the Libyan ministry of health.

Gunmen reportedly attacked a checkpoint of the Libyan army special forces stationed near the headquarter of Ansar al-Sharia in Ras Abayda area, reports Xinhua.

The clashes, which continued for hours, extended to Al-Berka and Al-Salmani neighbourhoods in Benghazi. The fighting was most intense in the morning, according to a military commander.

Media reported that a number of Ansar Al Sharia militiamen fled the city as their headquarters was totally burnt down following the clashes.

Six members of the Saiqa Brigade were seized by Ansar Al-Sharia, beaten and then sent back to their unit, according to media reports.

Saiqa Brigade is a unit of the Libyan special forces working under the joint security operation room in Benghazi, where tens of militias are mixed up with national security forces.

Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan went to Benghazi Nov 11 to discuss the new security plan in the region of Cyrenaica, but he was forced to leave as a number of protesters shouted at him blaming him for the lack of security in the city for months which ended up with drastic escalation of violence.

Tripoli witnessed a bloody clash Nov 15, when hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets in the capital to protest against the armed militias in the city and the rebels brigade opened fire on the mob, killing 43 people and injuring more the 460.

Zeidan held a meeting in London with US Secretary of State John Kerry and British Foreign Secretary William Hague. The diplomats reaffirmed their support to Libya in its harsh transitional stage towards the establishment of the democratic institutions.