BENGHAZI, Libya: The president of Libya’s elected parliament has proposed appointing Gen. Khalifa Haftar as top army commander, parliament’s spokesman said Wednesday.

The decision shows the increasing influence of military figures in the official government and parliament, which has been forced to operate from eastern Libya since the armed group Fajr Libya seized the capital Tripoli in summer.

“Mr. Aguila Saleh [parliament’s president] has proposed to appoint Haftar,” spokesman Farraj Hashem told Reuters. “The House of Representatives supports this.” 

Hashem said a decree appointing Haftar would still need to be signed by Saleh, who has quasi-presidential powers.

Haftar has emerged as would-be strongman in the east, where the internationally recognized prime minister, Abdullah al-Thani, has been based since losing control of Tripoli.

Haftar has merged his forces with army troops in the east to fight Islamist groups including Fajr Libya.

Libya’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Dayri called Tuesday for Western military support, saying the growing threat from jihadi groups threatened to turn his country into another Syria.

The minister underlined that his government is not asking for Western military intervention as in 2011, but only for “the reinforcement of the Libyan army’s capabilities.”

In other developments, an Egyptian border official said some 20,000 Egyptians have fled Libya since the release of a video by ISIS militants showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians.