In the wake of the killing of 21 Egyptian Christians, Egypt has sought support from the international community fighting the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria even as it its air planes targeted Libyan militants loyal to the terror group.
As war planes pounded the militant stronghold of Derna in eastern Libya, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri left for New York where he would seek support from the UN Security Council members against the extremists, reported News 24.
Egypt demands that the extremist group in Libya be repelled "just as forcefully" as in Syria and Iraq, where a U.S.-led coalition is conducting an air campaign against the IS, foreign ministry spokesperson Badr Abdel-Aty said.
A statement released by the army said that the air strikes in Derna hit the militants' bases and weapons storage facilities and added that it achieved precisely what it aimed for.
Libyan air force commander General Saqr al-Jurushi, loyal to the nation's internationally recognised government based in the eastern city of Tobruk, said that nearly 50 militants had been killed in the air strikes.
However, the attacks were criticized by the rival Islamist-leaning authorities in the capital Tripoli as a "blatant violation of Libyan sovereignty.
