BENGHAZI: Renegade ex-general Khalifa Hiftar said Saturday the Libyan people have given him a “mandate” to crush jihadi militants in the country, a day after thousands rallied in his support in Benghazi and Tripoli.

Hiftar’s campaign has won growing support amid frustration at the lawlessness in Libya three years after the overthrow of dictator Muammar Qaddafi. “We have accepted the mandate of the people,” Hiftar said in a statement.

“The (people) have given their instructions ... We pledge not to abandon this mission until Libya is purged of terrorists and extremists and all those who back them,” he added.

The statement was released by Hiftar’s self-declared “supreme military council” in the Benina region near the eastern city of Benghazi, where the rogue general launched his campaign this month.

Thousands of demonstrators rallied in support of Hiftar on Friday in the capital Tripoli and in Benghazi, the cradle of the 2011 uprising against Qaddafi and hotbed of militancy since. The demonstrations were some of the largest seen in Libya since Qaddafi was toppled and killed in 2011.

On Wednesday, Hiftar warned that Libya has become a “terrorist hub” and called for the formation of an emergency cabinet and legislative elections to be held.