The Egyptian military launches air strikes on alleged militant camps in Libya following a deadly attack on a group of Coptic Christians.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Egyptian military has carried out air strikes on alleged militant camps in Libya, in retaliation for a deadly attack on a group of Coptic Christians.
Cairo says the gunmen who killed at least 29 and wounded 24 in Minya, central Egypt, were trained at the sites targeted.
East Libyan forces said they helped with the air assault and claimed this would be followed by a ground offensive.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi added:
“The countries that support terrorism and provide it with money and weapons and training should be punished. They should be punished. No reconciliation with them.”
Police checkpoints and patrols were set up around the site of the attack in Minya province. According to eyewitnesses, three vehicles were hit on the road to the monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor.
Among those injured were two two-year-old children, according to Egypt’s Health Ministry.
Key figures from Egypt’s Muslim community have condemned the assault.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. However, a funeral on Friday turned into an impromptu protest, criticising the authorities for allegedly failing to protect Christians.