Egypt launches airstrikes against ISIL in Libya

William M. Welch | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Egypt: Warplanes Hit Islamic State Targets Egypt says its warplanes attacked Islamic State militant targets in Libya, after the militant group released video claiming to show the beheading of Egyptian Coptic Christians. (Jan. 16)

Egypt launched airstrikes against Islamic State targets in neighboring Libya on Monday, hours after militants there released a video purporting to show the mass beheading of Egyptian Christian hostages.

A spokesman for the Armed Forces General Command announced the strikes on state radio, and said they were "to avenge the bloodshed and to seek retribution from the killers," the Associated Press reported.

The statement said the warplanes targeted weapons caches and training camps before returning safely. "Let those far and near know that Egyptians have a shield that protects them," it said.

It marks the first time Cairo has publicly acknowledged taking military action in Libya, where extremist groups seen as a threat to both countries have taken root in recent years.

A spokesman for Libyan Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni told the BBC that Egyptian jets had taken part in coordinated airstrikes on the militant-held city of Derna. Libya's air force commander, Saqr al-Joroushi, told Egyptian state TV that about 50 militants were killed.

Derna was taken over by an Islamic State affiliate last year.

Two Libyan security officials said civilians, including three children and two women, were killed in the strikes. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Meanwhile, Bahrain said it deployed fighter planes to Jordan, a day after it announced plans to send troops to the kingdom.

Bahrain and Jordan are part of the U.S.-led coalition carrying out airstrikes against the Islamic State, also known as ISIL and ISIS.

On Sunday, a video purporting to show the mass beheading of the hostages by militants in Libya claiming loyalty to ISIL was posted on social media. On Twitter, several accounts distributed links to the video carrying the title, "A Message Signed With Blood To The Nation Of The Cross."

Militants in Libya had been holding 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians hostage for weeks, threatening them with death. The makers of the video identify themselves as the Tripoli Province of the Islamic State group — the Islamic militant group that controls about a third of Syria and Iraq.

The video shows a line of men dressed in orange jumpsuits forced onto their knees and beheaded.

The Egyptian government and the Coptic Church based in Egypt both declared the video authentic. Egypt banned all travel to Libya by its citizens in response.

The Egyptian government declared a seven-day mourning period, and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi addressed the nation late Sunday night.

"These cowardly actions will not undermine our determination," Sisi said. "Egypt and the whole world are in a fierce battle with extremist groups carrying extremist ideology and sharing the same goals."

Contributing: Jane Onyanga-Omara, USA TODAY; Associated Press