Mass beheadings of Coptic Christians: Egypt bombs ISIL targets in Libya

Posted by admin Africa & World Politics, Headlines Monday, February 16th, 2015

Egypt’s military has said it carried out air strikes against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant targets in Libya, a day after the group released a video appearing to show the beheading of 21 Egyptians there.

In a statement aired on state television, the military said the attacks were carried out at dawn on Monday.

The attacks focused on ISIL camps, training sites and weapons storage areas across Egypt’s border in Libya, where armed groups have thrived amid chaos, the statement said.

“The air strikes hit their targets precisely, and the falcons of our air forces returned safely to their bases,” the military’s statement said.

“We affirm that avenging Egyptian blood and retaliating against criminals and killers is a duty we must carry out.”

Libyan war planes loyal to the official government also took part in the air strikes, an official said on Monday.

“More air strikes will be carried out today and tomorrow in
coordination with Egypt,” commander Saqer al-Joroushi told al-Arabiya television.

Fighters pledging allegiance to ISIL released a video on Sunday purporting to show the killing of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians kidnapped in Libya.

The Egyptian government and the Coptic Church confirmed the authenticity of the footage, which showed the Egyptian workers, all wearing orange jump suits, being beheaded near a waterfront said to be located in the Libyan province of Tripoli.

The men were seized in two attacks in December and January from the coastal town of Sirte in eastern Libya.

-Punchwp_posts