Former Libyan general Khalifa Haftar was appointed on Monday as the army commander of the country's internationally recognized government, sources told Al Arabiya News Channel. The appointment of Haftar as commander of the army was proposed last week by the president of Libya's elected parliament. Haftar, a former ally of Muammar Qaddafi who later joined the revolution against the Libyan leader, has merged his forces with army troops in the east to fight Islamist groups including Libya Dawn, which has taken over Tripoli and set up its own rival government. They operate now as the Libyan National Army, a name the eastern army has adopted. The confirmation of Haftar may complicate United Nations efforts to broker peace between the country's two rival governments.