ISIS says it carried out attack which killed 29 Coptic Christians as Egypt launches counter-strikes on the terror group's bases in Libya
- The Egyptian Air Force claim to have inflicted 'heavy casualties'
- Despite recent setbacks, ISIS has maintained a formidable network in Libya
- Egypt has repeatedly warned of jihadists slipping across their border
- Manchester suicide bomber Salman Abedie regularly traveled to the country
The Islamic State group on Saturday claimed responsibility for shooting dead 29 Christians on a bus in central Egypt.
The attack prompted retaliatory air strikes on jihadists in neighbouring Libya, where ISIS is believe to have trained its fighters.
Despite losing territory in recent months the terrorist group has maintained a network of terrorist cells in the country.
The Egyptian Air Force claims the air strikes inflicted 'heavy casualties' to ISIS fighters
Suicide bomber Salman Abedi traveled to Libya multiple times, and is believed to have used terrorist networks in the country to help plan his attack in Manchester.
The latest ISIS attack took place in the Egyptian province of Minya on Friday.
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Coptic Christians were travelling on a bus to a monastery 120 miles south of Cairo.
The jihadist group's Amaq news agency claimed in a statement that its fighters 'set up a checkpoint' for the Christians as they headed to the monastery, shooting at them and setting one of their vehicles on fire.
The strikes come after an attack on Coptic Christians on Friday, which killed 29
The Egyptian security forces have been alarmed at ISIS fighters slipping over the border from Libya
The attack prompted Egypt to unleash air strikes on jihadist camps in Libya.
The military published footage of the strikes but declined to say where they took place.
The air force loyal to Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar, who is backed by Egypt, on Saturday said it had participated in the strikes, describing them as 'heavy in casualties'.
Egypt has repeatedly expressed concern over militants crossing from Libya to Egypt to conduct attacks.
In a speech on Friday, Sisi said setbacks to IS in Syria were driving its fighters to try to relocate to Libya and Egypt's Sinai.
Italian security services fear a number of Islamic State fighters have slipped into the country by pretending to be injured soldiers, according to the Guardian.
The bus was heading towards St Samuel the Confessor monastery in Maghagha (Amr Nabil)
Friday's attack followed two suicide bombings of churches in April that killed 45 Copts. In December, a suicide bomber struck a church in Cairo, killing 29 Copts.
IS claimed all the bombings and threatened more attacks on the Copts, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt's population of 90 million.
It has also killed several Christians in North Sinai, forcing dozens of families to flee.
The latest attack drew global condemnation.
'Terrorists are engaged in a war against civilisation, and it is up to all who value life to confront and defeat this evil,' US President Donald Trump said in a statement.
Pope Francis, who had visited Egypt in April, sent a message to Sisi saying he was 'deeply saddened to learn of the barbaric attack'.
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