(DAILY BEAST) ROME — Egypt launched airstrikes this morning at dawn on targets in neighboring Libya to retaliate for the barbaric mass execution of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians held by militants affiliated to the so-called Islamic State. Egyptian officials say more strikes will be launched on jihadists in the coming days, dragging the country deeper into the chaos that has swept Libya since the ouster of strongman Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
The air-raids came after a horrific five-minute video was posted by the militants on Sunday, apparently showing the gruesome spectacle of Coptic Christians having their throats sliced on the shores of the Mediterranean at Sirte, Gaddafi’s birthplace.
Almost immediately, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al Sisi vowed revenge publicly during a television broadcast to Egyptians and the bombing followed hours later. The Egyptian leader said he would choose the “necessary means and timing to avenge the criminal killings” of Egypt’s citizens.
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