Cairo ({{AFP}}) – {Egypt carried out air strikes against Islamic State group targets in Libya on Monday after the jihadists posted a video showing the decapitation of 21 Coptic Christians.
}
The air strikes in the early morning hit IS camps and stores of weapons, the military said, hours after the jihadists released the gruesome footage of the beheadings.
Witnesses told AFP there were at least seven air strikes in Derna in the east, a hotbed of militancy since Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi was overthrown in 2011. It was not immediately clear whether other areas were also hit.
It was the first time Egypt announced military action against Islamist targets in its western neighbour, having previously denied it targeted militants there.
“Your armed forces on Monday carried out focused air strikes in Libya against Daesh camps, places of gathering and training, and weapons depots,” the military said in a statement, using the Arabic acronym for IS.
State television showed footage of Egyptian fighter jets it said were taking off to conduct the strikes.
Leave a Reply