Egypt’s armed forces carried out intensive air strikes by night and day targeting terrorist elements in Libya following a Friday attack in Egypt’s Minya that left 29 Coptic Christians dead, an army spokesman statement read.
“The attack resulted in the complete destruction of the targets which included training and concentration areas of [terrorist] elements that participated in the planning and execution of the [Minya] attack.”
On Friday, unknown assailants driving three 4×4 trucks attacked by “firing randomly” at a bus carrying Egyptian Coptic Christians in Egypt’s Minya governorate. At least 22 others were injured in the attack.
The army statement said it carried the attack upon the directions of the president and after “coordination and full examination of the information.”
The statement also included video footage of the Egyptian fighter planes carrying out the attack in Libya.
“The eagles of our nation returned following the successful execution of their tasks,” the statement added in reference to Egyptian air force pilots.
In February 2015, the Egyptian army, in coordination with the Libyan army, carried out airstrikes against IS targets in Libya followed the release of a graphic video showing IS militants beheading Egyptian Coptic Christians they had previously kidnapped inside Libyan territories.
On 9 April, suicide bombers targeted St George’s Church in Tanta and St Mark’s Cathedral in Alexandria, killing and injuring dozens in the deadliest attack against civilians in the country’s recent history. A total of 29 people died in the Tanta explosion and 18 in Alexandria.
Cairo imposed a nationwide three-month state of emergency after the April bombings, with the option to extend for another three months dependent on a parliament vote.
Coptic Christians make up about 10 percent of Egypt’s population of 92 million.