Libya's new army chief Khalifa Haftar promised his forces would seize Benghazi from Islamist militias within a month and called for wider support from the international community.
In an interview with AFP yesterday at his military compound about 100 kilometres (60 miles) northeast of second city Benghazi, he said his forces would press to take the city by the middle of April and urged the international community to "stand with the Libyan army".
"We will end in very little time the presence of the enemy and terrorists in the region. Operations in the city of Benghazi will end before the middle of next month," Haftar said.
"No doubt the international community knows the depth of the crisis Libya is experiencing since the overthrow of Moamer Kadhafi, with the absence of law, public order and the rise of militant groups" linked to the Islamic State organisation, he said.
Haftar, 72, was sworn in on March 9 as the new army chief in conflict-ridden Libya and promoted to general, a week after his nomination by the elected parliament.
He said that Islamist militias have flourished in the absence of public institutions, "pushing the country further towards extremism and terrorism" and "stripping Libyans of life, security and development".
He said the offensive in Benghazi, which he has dubbed Operation Dignity, was to "answer the repeated calls of the Libyan people for the return of the army to combat terrorism in the region".
Last May, Haftar launched an offensive against Islamists in the country's east focused on Benghazi but has so far failed to take the city.
