Tripoli, May 24 (IANS): Hundreds of citizens in Libya's Tripoli and Benghazi took to the street Friday in support for rogue general Khalifa Haftar, who has led the attack on the interim parliament in the name of "purging terrorists".
Hundreds of Tripoli citizens gathered at Martyr's Square Friday chanting slogans and calling for Libyan officials to join his "terrorism-purging campaign", Xinhua reported.
In Libya's second largest city Benghazi demonstrators waved their banners and national flags saying they will stand shoulder to shoulder beside Haftar's "national army" to fight terrorism.
Haftar, who played a major role in toppling Libya's former leader Muammar Gaddafi, has led a series of military actions against the country's interim parliament in the name of "purging terrorists" and tried to force parliament to abandon power.
His maneuvers have been condemned as a "coup" by parliament, but he has gained more allies recently as some political parties, army officials and armed groups showed their support for him.
The interim parliament announced Thursday that an early parliamentary vote will he held next month, aiming to solve the present political standoff.
Witnesses said that pro-parliament demonstrators also took to the street Friday at another location in Benghazi. They accused Haftar will become a second Gaddafi.