Egypt hits Libyan terror camp

On 26^th May 2017, Egyptians fighter jets attacked camps in Libya which according to Cairo have been training militants who had killed many Christians in Egypt earlier that day.

Warplanes strikes Derna

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered strikes against Derna, East Libya, which he believes are terrorist camps. Three strikes took place in Derna after masked gunmen attacked a group of Coptic Christians travelling to a monastery in southern Egypt, killing 29 and wounding 24.

The Egyptian military proclaimed that the attack was carried out after it was ascertained that the gunmen who attacked Cairo were from these camps. The president later declared in a television address that those sponsoring terrorism will be punished and Egypt would not hesitate to strike more such camps.

Why did Egypt attack?

Egypt claims to have attacked Libya in retaliation to the death of 29 Coptic Christians in Cairo by the ISIS. Three vehicles were attacked, first to be hit was a vehicle taking children to the monastery as part of a church organized trip and another vehicle was taking families. The convoy was halted on the desert road and 10 gunmen dressed as soldiers opened fire on them. Egypt has been in a state of emergency after two suicide bomb attack killed 45 people at the Coptic churches last month, also the December’s massacre of 29 Copts at Cairo cathedral.

The country’s Coptic Christians are the middle east’s largest Christian community, have emerged as ISIS’s top target. Pope Francis reiterated his call for peace during his meeting with US president Donald trump, where they discussed the promotion of peace through political negotiation and inter religious dialogue with reference to the situation in middle east and the protection of Christian communities.

ISIS in Libya

The attacks by Libya prove that Libya has grown as a haven to these jihadist groups and how they are proliferating. The neighbouring countries are under threat from these Libyan based jihadist groups. Tunisia is already battling with the ISIS terrorist coming back and forth from Libya.

ISIS had announced its presence in Derna and some 300 Libyan nationals are known to have returned from a battle in Iraq in Syria to boost its presence in the country. They have expanded into central Libya where the country’s lucrative oil fields are located. US estimates that currently there are about 6000 ISIS fighters.

France had conducted aerial surveillance missions in Libya and the US has initiated airstrikes against ISIS’s top leaders. In 2015, it killed al-Anbari in Derna and in 2016 it struck a group’s training camp near Sabratha killing the senior ISIS militant Noureddine Chouchane. 

Assessment

The Egyptian government should take more precautions and boost security for the Christian citizens who form the country’s largest minority and have been called the ISIS’s favourite prey in Libya. Inability of the government to do so would prove its instability and failure to protect the minority of the country who have been attacked before as well by the ISIS.

ISIS have been establishing a stronghold in Libya. Immediate steps should be taken to roll back the ISIS in Libya. Western leaders should eliminate the prospect of ISIS developing an operation base in Libya. Growth of ISIS in Libya would be a threat to other countries as well. Countries like UK and US should send more troops to train the forces against the ISIS.