Libya vows to support Egypt’s anti-terrorism efforts

CAIRO – 27 May 2017: Libya’s interim government condemned the recent attack on a bus carrying Coptic Christians in central Egypt, offering its condolences to the families of victims and all the Egyptian people.

"Our sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims and to the people of Egypt," a statement issued by the Libyan foreign ministry said Saturday.

The ministry added that some international powers support terrorism aiming to destabilize Egypt and Libya, stressing the Libyan government and people support Egyptians in their war against terror organizations.

At least 29 people were killed and more than 20 wounded in an attack carried out on a bus carrying civilians on their way to St. Samuel monastery in Minya governorate in central Egypt. The attack on Friday was the most recent in a series of similar attacks carried out against Coptic Christians in Egypt over the last six months.

Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told his U.S. counterpart Rex Tillerson that jihadists who conducted the Friday attack received training in Libyan militant camps, a statement said Saturday.

Shoukry said, "There was enough information and evidence of the terrorist elements involved in the (attack) having trained in these camps", a foreign ministry statement said.

Egypt's air forces held six intensive airstrikes on Derna, eastern Libya, targeting groups affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group, believed to be responsible for the Minya attack.

Libyan air forces commented Friday in a press statement that Egyptian airstrikes on Derna were coordinated with Libyan air force commander, Gen. Saqr Geroushi, and this operation represents the first of many to pave the way for Libyan ground forces to enter Derna and liberate it from terrorists.

The airstrike campaign is the second announced military operation carried out by the Egyptian air forces against the terrorists inside Libya. On Feb. 16, 2015, the Egyptian armed forces launched airstrikes against the Islamic State (IS) group’s camps in Libya following mass execution of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians who were kidnapped in 2015 January by IS militants.