- Egpytian warplanes bomb IS training camps and weapons stockpiles
- Two waves of airstrikes follow gruesome murder of captured workers
- Calls for UK and rest of US-led coalition to target IS on Libyan territory
Published:
23:40 GMT, 16 February 2015
|
Updated:
10:15 GMT, 17 February 2015
Egpytian
warplanes blitzed Islamic State targets in Libya yesterday after
fanatics released a horrific video showing the beheading of 21
Christians on a beach.
They
bombed IS training camps, weapons stockpiles and fighters in two waves
of airstrikes following the gruesome murder of captured Egyptian
workers.
Meanwhile,
the Egyptian government called for Britain and the rest of the US-led
coalition to also target IS on Libyan territory.
Scroll down for video
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Bombing: It was Egypt’s first official military action in Libya since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011
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Damage caused: Destroyed buildings
seen after Egypt's army warplanes carried out airstrikes in neighbouring
Libya against targets belonging to Islamic State yesterday
The
bombing, Egypt’s first official military action in Libya since the
overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi four years ago, came after a day of
international outrage at the slickly-produced IS beheading video.
Lasting
five minutes, it shows a group of Coptic Christians dressed in
Guantanamo-style orange jumpsuits being marched one-by-one along a
lonely beach, each held by a fighter clad in black.
It appears to be dusk and the sea laps at the sand and rocks. The men their, faces uncovered, are then made to kneel.
A
jihadist dressed in camouflage fatigues and speaking English with an
American accent declares: ‘All crusaders ... The sea you have hidden
Sheikh Osama bin Laden’s body in, we swear to Allah we will mix it with
your blood.’
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Destruction: Cairo called on the
US-led coalition carrying out strikes over Syria and Iraq to broaden the
scope of their operations to include Libya. Pictured above is damage
caused by the Egyptian attack
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Ripped open: Destroyed buildings seen after Egyptian warplanes carried out airstrikes in neighbouring Libya
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Returning: An Egyptian Army photograph
of an F-16 fighter landing after carrying an airstrike against
militants loyal to Islamic State in Derna in eastern Libya, at a
military base in an undisclosed location
The men are then forced to lie face-down before they are beheaded simultaneously.
4,000 US TROOPS FOR KUWAIT
The US is sending 4,000 troops to Kuwait – raising the prospect of a ground assault against Islamic State fighters.
The combat brigade, supported by armoured vehicles, is largely composed of battle-hardened veterans of the Iraq War.
They
will bolster the existing US force in Kuwait and could be used to
counter the spread of IS extremists in Syria and neighbouring Iraq.
Although
Barack Obama has ruled out another large-scale operation, he is seeking
approval from Congress for the ‘flexibility’ to send in ground forces
in ‘limited circumstances’.
The Kuwait force – the 3rd Brigade Combat Team – has been training for more than a year for a possible confrontation with IS.
However,
Iraqi PM Haidar al-Abadi, who has vowed to retake the city of Mosul
from IS, said he needed equipment rather than foreign ‘boots on the
ground’.
The camera zooms in on the sea as the water turns red with blood.
Britain condemned the murders as ‘barbaric’. The US said the video showed the ‘wanton killing of innocents’.
Last night, the video was being seen as IS’s bid to announce its presence in a new region where it is gaining influence.
The former head of MI6, Sir John Sawers, said Britain should consider putting troops on the ground in the country.
He
told the Daily Telegraph that Libya had descended into chaos since
Britain joined the US and its allies in bringing down Gaddafi’s regime.
The
Prime Minister’s spokesman defended Britain’s role in the overthrow of
Gaddafi, saying: ‘This was a country where people were being oppressed
by a dictator, where they were not able to pursue their aspirations and
have their voice heard.’
Egyptian
state TV showed warplanes over Libya as the military declared they were
‘avenging Egyptian blood and retaliating against criminals and
killers’.
Libyan officials said 40 fighters and two civilians had been killed.
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Blast: A video still from aerial
footage released by the Egyptian Ministry of Defence shows an airstrike
on Islamic State group positions in Libya yesterday
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Airstrike: Egpytian warplanes bombed
IS training camps, weapons stockpiles and fighters in two waves of
airstrikes following the gruesome murder of captured Egyptian workers
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Mourning: Neighbours and friends of
the relatives of Egyptian Coptic men killed in Libya sit at the
courtyard of a church before a mass at El-Our village in Minya, south of
Cairo yesterday
Cairo
called on the US-led coalition carrying out strikes over Syria and Iraq
to broaden the scope of their operations to include Libya.
All crusaders ... The sea you have hidden Sheikh Osama bin Laden’s body in, we swear to Allah we will mix it with your blood
Jihadist, speaking to Christians
The
country’s internationally recognized government has been confined to
its far east since militias seized the capital Tripoli last year.
‘Leaving
things in Libya as they are without decisive intervention to suppress
these terror groups constitutes a clear danger to international peace
and security,’ the Egyptian foreign ministry warned.
French
president François Hollande called for the UN security council to meet
over Libya and to take new measures against the growing power of the
militants.
Italy has already said it is willing to lead a coalition of European and North African countries to stop the IS advance.
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Shocking: The bombing came after a day of international outrage at the slickly-produced IS beheading video
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Horrifying: Lasting five minutes, the
video shows a group of Coptic Christians dressed in Guantanamo-style
orange jumpsuits being marched one-by-one along a lonely beach, each
held by a fighter clad in black
Significantly, it has not ruled out using ground forces.
Leaving
things in Libya as they are without decisive intervention to suppress
these terror groups constitutes a clear danger to international peace
and security
Egyptian foreign ministry
The
video of the beheadings, posted online by Libyan jihadists loyal to IS,
is the first to come from outside the group’s heartland of Syria and
Iraq, raising fears it has established a new foothold just 450 miles
from the Italian coast.
Pope Francis expressed ‘profound sadness’ at the murders.
‘They
were executed for nothing more than the fact that they were
Christians,’ he said. ‘Their only words were: ‘Jesus, help me!’
The
Egyptian workers were seized in separate kidnappings in December and
January from the coastal town of Sirte in eastern Libya, under the
control of Islamist groups.
Libya is home to a large community of both Muslim and Coptic Egyptians, with most working in the construction sector.
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