Egypt bombs ISIS targets in Libya after killings

Story highlights Jets target ISIS camps, training areas and weapons depots, Egypt's military says "Avenging Egyptian blood ... is our right and duty," it says in a statement The killings of the Egyptian Christians in Libya has deepened concerns about ISIS' reach

Egyptian F-16 jets took off in the early hours of Monday to bomb ISIS camps, training areas and weapons depots in Libya, the Egyptian military said.

"Avenging Egyptian blood and punishing criminals and murderers is our right and duty," it said in a statement broadcast on state television.

It wasn't immediately clear where in Libya the airstrikes hit or how much damage and casualties they might have caused.

The bombing raids came after ISIS released a gruesome video Sunday that appeared to show the beheadings of the Egyptian Christians on a beach.

The footage, bearing many of the hallmarks of previous ISIS hostage execution videos, has intensified international concerns about ISIS' deepening reach into countries far beyond its strongholds in Syria and Iraq.

The slickly produced video shows the apparent mass execution with jihadists in black standing behind each of the victims, who are all dressed in orange jumpsuits with their hands cuffed behind them.

Some of the hostages cry out "Oh God" and "Oh Jesus" as they are pushed to their knees.

The five-minute video, released by ISIS' propaganda wing al-Hayat Media, includes a masked English-speaking jihadi who says, "The sea you have hidden Sheikh Osama bin Laden's body in, we swear to Allah, we will mix it with your blood."

The video threatens Egypt, which shares a long border with Libya, and also Europe, whose shores lie across the Mediterranean Sea.

See the original post:
Egypt bombs ISIS targets in Libya after killings

Related Posts

Comments are closed.