Egypt & Libya Take Action Against ISIS for Beheadings of 21 Christians - Sophia Davison

              On Sunday, another tragic video of ISIS' gruesome work appeared, adding another awful event onto the list of many other ISIS murders. Twenty-one Christians from  the town of Sirte on the Libyan coast were kidnapped, dressed in orange jumpsuits, and told to stand in a line. "Some of the hostages cry out "Oh God" and "Oh Jesus" as they are pushed to their knees," says CNN News. Most of these men were supposedly from small and impoverished towns, and made the journey to Libya looking for work.  The video sent on Sunday graphically shows the beheading of twelve of the men, as well as one of the jihadist leaders saying to the men: "The sea you have hidden Sheikh Osama bin Laden's body in, we swear to Allah, we will mix it with your blood." The other nine men are thought to have been killed, as well. This continues the horrific line of murders that ISIS has carried out thus far, yet their works are gaining increasing agitation from countries affected and removed from direct consequences. The video threatens Egypt, also, and Egyptian government and militant forces have begun to take heavy action against the group. Egypt and Libya have acted out upon these unthinkable crimes in an attempt to protect themselves and show some sort of resistance. "Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi had warned Sunday that his country "reserves the right of retaliation and with the methods and timing it sees fit for retribution for those murderers and criminals who are without the slightest humanity. He also declared a week of mourning in the Muslim majority nation for the slain Christians.In a statement, Egypt's Foreign Ministry called for other nations battling ISIS to support Egypt's efforts and to target terrorists in Libya, as well."  The Egyptian militant forces had already been fighting against ISIS forces after an attack in January, especially with the news that ISIS forces took over multiple towns and villages all throughout Libya and were nearing the Egyptian border. Egyptian warplanes also sieged airstrikes around the ISIS militant camps and training areas Monday, covering Egyptian and Libyan territory. "Avenging Egyptian blood and punishing criminals and murderers is our right and duty," the Egyptian military said in the statement, which was broadcast on state television. Actions taken by the Egyptian and Libyan governments show a firm and dedicated hand in the situation. This continuous practice of gruesome murder and horrific violence escalates as the more time and murders pass. Definite plans of action for lasting results cannot be determined at the moment, yet action is being taken. For those lost to the ISIS cause, let's keep hoping that all of this ceases. 

http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/16/middleeast/isis-libya-egypt/index.html