Egypt conducted retaliatory airstrikes in Libya against ISIL positions hours after a video showed the beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians.
Key Facts
- Date of airstrikes
- 16 February 2015
- Coptic Christians beheaded
- 21 people
- ISIL militants killed (alleged)
- up to 64 militants
- ISIL leaders killed
- 3 people
- Egyptians rounded up in retaliation
- at least 35 people
- Target cities
- Derna and Sirte
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
On 15 February 2015, ISIL in Libya released a video depicting the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians from Egypt. This act prompted an immediate military response from Egypt, which considered the killings a direct provocation requiring swift retaliation against ISIL positions in neighboring Libya.
Within hours of the video's release, the Egyptian Air Force launched airstrikes targeting ISIL training camps and weapons stockpiles in the Libyan coastal cities of Derna and Sirte. Libyan government warplanes also struck targets in Derna, reportedly in coordination with Egypt, killing up to 64 ISIL militants including three leaders.
Following the airstrikes, ISIL reportedly rounded up at least 35 more Egyptians in Libya in retaliation. Egypt's Foreign Ministry simultaneously called on the US-led coalition operating in Syria and Iraq to expand its operations to North Africa to address the growing ISIL threat in Libya.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
Side B
1 belligerent