On Monday, Egypt carried out airstrikes on IS bases in Libya as a response to the video posted by IS militants showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians. The President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, is urging the international community to take up arms against the Islamic State in Libya.
An extremist militant group in Libya that claims allegiance to the Islamic State released the video. In the clip, the militants beheaded 21 Egyptian Christians. Most of the victims were poor and young Egyptian men who had moved to Libya in order to work. Hours after the video was posted, Egypt carried out airstrikes using U.S. F-16 jets on the town of Darna in Libya. Egyptian officials claim that the strikes destroyed IS weapons and training facilities.
“What is happening in Libya is a threat to international peace and security,” said the Egyptian president.
President Sisi warned the world’s leaders that left unimpeded, the Islamic State in Libya would quickly become a global threat. According to the BBC, President Sisi spoke with French president Francois Hollande and Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi over the phone about the conflict in Libya.
Libya is currently the biggest gathering of IS militants outside of Iraq and Syria. The Egyptian president asked the United States as well as European countries to carry out military attacks on the IS in Libya, much like the coalition of airstrikes that the U.S. is leading on the Islamic State in Syria.
Italy voiced its support of Egypt’s request, though its support is just theoretical at the moment. The Italian defense minister Roberta Pinotti stated that Italy is prepared to lead a coalition to impede the extremists group’s advancement.
Some believe that the Islamic State’s presence in Libya is a direct threat to Europe given the large amount of immigrants that travel to Italy by boat from northern Africa.
