At least 12 Libyan soldiers are dead after a car bombing in the volatile eastern city of Benghazi, a Libyan military official said on Thursday.

A suicide bomber driving an explosives-packed car late Wednesday targeted the headquarters of Infantry Battalion 210 in the western part of Benghazi, Mohammed al-Azumi, a military spokesman, told the independent Libyan news website Al Wasat.

Thirty-five others were injured in the bombing, he added. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

However, Al Wasat blamed the assault on the Daesh extremist militia.

In recent months, forces loyal to the Libyan government based in the eastern city of Tobruk have stepped up a military campaign against militant insurgents in Benghazi.

Libya has been in turmoil since the country's 2011 revolution, which toppled long-time dictator Moamer Gaddafi.

Daesh forces have taken advantage of the chaos to establish a foothold in the oil-rich country.

In March, a UN-backed unity government arrived in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, amid international hopes it would be able to re-establish stability and stop Daesh's expansion in the country.

However, Tobruk's powerful military chief, Khalifa Haftar, and a supportive parliament based in the city are still holding out against the nascent unity government.