Egypt launched airstrikes on Islamic State targets in Libya this morning as it 'seeks retribution' for the barbaric filmed beheading of 21 Coptic Christians.
There were at least seven strikes in Derna in the east of the country, which has become a hotbed of Islamic extremism since dictator Libyan Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011.
It is the first time Egypt announced.....
military action against Islamist targets in its western neighbour, having previously denied it targeted militants there, and the first time militants connected with the Islamic State terror group have been hit with airstrikes outside Syria and Iraq.
The strikes are in response to a gruesome video, released last night, showing a group of orange jumpsuit-clad Coptic Christians being marched to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea by masked, knife-wielding militants.
The 21 men, who were Egyptian migrant workers kidnapped last month, are then seen being forced onto their knees before they are beheaded simultaneously by the militants standing behind them.
A statement released by the Egyptian military this morning said: 'Your armed forces on Monday carried out focused air strikes in Libya against Daesh camps, places of gathering and training, and weapons depots'.
Daesh is a a derogatory Arabic acronym for the Islamic State terror group, commonly referred to as ISIS or ISIL in the West.
Egyptian state television followed up the military statement by showing footage of warplanes it said were taking off to conduct the strikes.
'Avenging Egyptian blood and retaliating against criminals and killers is a duty we must carry out,' the military said.
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