Libya airstrikes were legitimate self-defence, says Egypt FM

Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, has stressed that the military raids carried out by the Egyptian army on Libyan territories were “legitimate self-defence.”

“Those airstrikes were legitimate self-defense. Our nation will protect its national security by all means at its disposal,” Shoukry said in interview with Russia Today (RT) Arabic, referring to the Egyptian army’s air raids on suspected militant training camps in Libya.

On last week’s attack that took place in Egypt’s southern province of Minya, Shoukry affirmed that “there is irrefutable proof of connection between the targets that were hit in Libya and the events in Minya earlier.”

“We cannot allow the terrorists to stay safe and benefit from a failure of the Libyan government’s loss of control over the country’s territories, which have now turned into a safe haven and a training ground for foreign fighters and other elements, who infiltrate through the Egypt-Libyan border and attack innocent Egyptian civilians,” he added.

On Friday, Egypt launched strikes on suspected militant training camps located in the Libyan eastern city of Derna, just hours after the Minya shooting attack that targeted two buses and a truck carrying Coptic Christians.

“The air force has conducted several intensive day and night-time strikes. They targeted several gatherings of terrorist elements within Libyan territory after coordinating and fully verifying all information,” a statement by the Egyptian foreign ministry read.

The attack, which left at least 29 dead, was claimed responsible by Daesh.

The government informed the UN Security Council yesterday that the air strikes on eastern Libya were part a legitimate right of self-defence.

Responding to the Egyptian foreign ministry claims over destroying the headquarters of the Shura Council of Mujahideen in Derna, the council has denied the alleged shelling to its premises and military sites, stressing that the Egyptian air strikes have hit the city’s highly populated areas.

The council has also denied any involvement in the Minya attack.