Egypt calls for support to Al-Thinni ahead of urgent UN meeting

Egypt says UN should consider 'boots on the ground' to combat Islamic State in Libya • France, Italy, Germany, Spain, UK and USA warn that terrorist groups benefiting from Libyan conflict

Egypt has called on the United Nations to expand its support for the UN-recognized Libyan government based in Tobruk, led by Prime Minister Abdullah Al-Thinni.

Ahead of an emergency session of the UN Security Council later on today, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told Al Jazeera that the UN should consider all measures, including ‘boots on the ground’, to combat militants in Libya who have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.

“It is up to the international community to define what is the best course of action to deal with this threat,” Shoukry said. "I will not prejudge or jump to any conclusions. It is up to us to forge a collective understanding and commitment.

"That should not exclude any form of support to the legitimate government in Tobruk."

Militants in Libya pledging allegiance to IS released a video on Sunday purporting to show the beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians. Egypt's military responded by carrying out air raids against apparent IS camps, training sites and weapons storage areas in Libya's northeast on Monday. At least seven civilians were reported killed in the strikes.

Western nations condemn ‘heinous murder’ of Egyptian Christians

The governments of France, Italy, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States condemned the beheading.

“The heinous murder of 21 Egyptian citizens in Libya by IS-affiliated terrorists once again underscores the urgent need for a political resolution to the conflict in Libya, the continuation of which only benefits terrorist groups, including IS.

“Terrorism affects all Libyan, and no one faction can confront alone the challenges facing Libya. The United Nations-led process to establish a national unity government provides the best hope for Libyans to address the terrorist threat and to confront the violence and instability that impedes Libya’s political transition and development. The international community is prepared to fully support a unity government in addressing Libya’s current challenges.

“Those who seek to impede this process and Libya’s democratic transition, four years after the revolution, will not be allowed to condemn Libya to chaos and extremism. They will be held by accountable by the Libyan people and the international community for their actions.”

Libya’s long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed in 2011, following a national revolution during the so-called ‘Arab Spring’.

However, the country has since failed to build efficient state institutions and a nation army and it now has two rival governments and parliaments- Al-Thinni’s based in Tobruk and the Islamist Libya Dawn coalition based in the capital of Tripoli and lef by Omar al-Hassi.  

Amid the chaos, fighters pledging allegiance to the Islamic State have emerged in the cities of Derna and Sirte.