By Libya Herald staff.
Tunis, 13 February 2015:
Egypt today said it was preparing for an evacuation of workers from Libya after the Islamic . . .[restrict]State published photographs of 21 Coptic Christians kidnapped last month in Sirte.
The photographs show the men in orange jump suits being paraded along the sea shore by black-clad gunmen.
The Egyptian authorities, facing pressure at home to intervene, said they will consider evacuating some among the tens of thousands of workers who remain in Libya. There are fears that all Egyptians could become targets for IS which regards the authorities in Cairo and, by extension, Egypt as an enemy.
State run Mena news agency said President Abdul Fattah Al-Sisi was offering a mass airlift as an emergency security measure.
The 21 Copts were captured in two raids by IS units in Sirte, the first in December when seven were seized from cars, the second when gunmen raided residential addresses in the town.
Their photographs appear in the seventh issue of Dabiq, an English-language online newspaper issued by the Islamic State.
The publication claims the men were abducted in retribution for attacks on Muslim women in Egypt, but makes no mention of a ransom demand or whether the men have come to harm.
Publication came as IS issued pictures showing balaclava-clad gunmen in control of a Sirte radio station, underlining the organization’s spreading control in the town, where Libya Dawn units are also based.
Earlier this week Islamic State claimed control of the nearby town of Nawfaliya, while its units have already proclaimed an Islamic Caliphate in Derna on the north-eastern coast.
The magazine makes clear that Libya is now regarded as a principle target for IS fighters, carrying reports taking credit for the attack last month on Tripoli’s Corinthian hotel and making clear that Libya Dawn which holds the capital is considered an enemy.
The Islamic State has already claimed credit for a string of car bombings in the capital, although Libya Dawn continues to deny it has a presence in Tripoli.
Egyptians are among the largest contingent of foreign workers in Libya, although many have joined the exodus of foreigners and embassies as war has spread in recent months. [/restrict]
