Tuesday, February 17, 2015

The wave of migrants headed for Europe after ISIS brings its terror to North Africa

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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

By David Williams and Tamara Cohen for the Daily Mail

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.

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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

Egyptian MOD release footage of airstrikes on ISIS in Libya

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

The aftermath of Egyptian airstrikes on Libyan city of Derna

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.