Egypt attacks IS in Libya after beheading video

Within hours of the video’s release, Egypt bombed a series of IS targets including training areas and armories.

Photo Credit: Channel 2 News

Just few hours after IS posted another shocking video where they killed 21 Egyptian citizens in Libya, the Egyptian government responded.  A statement that released on Egyptian television said that the army bombed a series of targets of the cruel terrorist organization.

According to the report, the airstrikes took place at dawn, and were designed to hit a number of training sites and weapons caches used by the IS fighters working in Libya.  Last night, shortly after the release of the video, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt made a special announcement to the nation in which he declared that his country has the right to respond forcefully to the murder of its citizens.  The president called the action “barbaric” and promised to respond quickly.  

Photo Credit: Channel 2 News

In the video posted by IS on social networks, the organization’s activists are seen in Libya leading 21 Egyptians, Coptic Christians, near the beach in Tripoli, and then beheading them.  These are Egyptian workers who were kidnapped last December and January in two separate incidents.  Egyptian officials confirmed the authenticity of the video and declared their deaths.  

Following the terrible scene, Egypt decided to declare seven days of mourning, and to immediately convene the National Security Council to consider ways to respond.  They decided to first attack the organization in Libya, but it seems that this is not the Egyptian government’s final response. 

Photo Credit: Channel 2 News/Reuters

Jordan was also involved in the fighting a few weeks ago when IS posted a video of the execution of the pilot Muadh al-Kasasbeh, who they burned alive.  The air force bombed dozens of IS targets in Iraq and Syria, and put Jordan at the forefront of the struggle against the organization.