Egypt, Libya Launch Joint Airstrikes on ISIS Following Beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians

Egypt unleashed its fury on Islamic State militants, sending its warplanes to bomb ISIS targets inside Libya on Monday, a day after the terrorist group released a video showed the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians there.

Libya's air force joined Egyptian jets in the airstrikes which struck ISIS camps, training sites and weapons storage areas in Libya, according to a Reuters report.

A Libyan air force commander said between 40 to 50 militants were killed in the attack, adding that more airstrikes will be carried out Monday and Tuesday in coordination with Egypt.

It was the first time Egypt had launched air strikes against ISIS targets in neighboring Libya in a clear indication of Cairo's stepped-up campaign against the jihadists just outside the country's borders.

Egypt had not taken part directly in the U.S.-led airstrikes against jihadist strongholds in Iraq and Syria as Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has been preoccupied with the insurgency at home.

Sisi immediately condemned the killings and vowed that the country would do the "necessary means and timing to avenge the criminal killings." The Egyptian president called for a seven-day mourning period for the victims.

Earlier on Saturday, a group of black-robed ISIS fighters marched the 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians to a beach, forced them to kneel and then beheaded on video, which was broadcast via a website that supports the jihadists.

The beheaded Christians had gone to Libya in search of work, Reuters said. They were kidnapped by ISIS in December and January in Sirte, Libya.

The latest action taken by the ISIS militants deeply saddened Pope Francis who departed from the script of an address on Monday to emphasize the unity of all Christians regardless of the sect they follow, Reuters said.

Addressing members of the Church of Scotland, the Pope said the Egyptian Christians last "words were: 'Jesus, help me!'"

Speaking in his native Spanish, the Pope said the Christians were killed simply for the fact that they were Christians. "The blood of our Christian brothers and sisters is a testimony which cries out be heard. It makes no difference whether they be Catholics, Orthodox, Copts or Protestants. They are Christians!" Pope Francis thundered.

The Coptic Church is founded on the teachings of St. Mark who took Christianity to Egypt during the reign of the Roman emperor Nero.

Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates vowed to "put all its capabilities to support ... Egypt's efforts to eradicate terrorism and the violence against its citizens," according to a statement made by its foreign minister.

Jordan, another Arab state, has also launched repeated airstrikes against ISIS positions in Syria following the gruesome killing by fire of a Jordanian pilot.

The United States vehemently condemned the jihadists' killing of the 21 Coptic Christians from Egypt. In a statement, U.S. Press Secretary John Earnest said the barbarity shown by the militants "knows no bounds."

"It is unconstrained by faith, sect, or ethnicity. This wanton killing of innocents is just the most recent of the many vicious acts perpetrated by ISIL-affiliated terrorists against the people of the region, including the murders of dozens of Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai, which only further galvanizes the international community to unite against ISIL," Earnest said.

He said the killings underscore "the urgent need for a political resolution to the conflict in Libya, the continuation of which only benefits terrorist groups, including ISIL."

Last month, ISIS beheaded Japanese journalist Kenji Goto in Syria.

ISIS described the beheaded Egyptian workers as "the people of the cross, the followers of the hostile Egyptian church."

One of the masked men spoke in English and said, "All crusaders: safety for you will be only wishes, especially if you are fighting us all together. Therefore we will fight you all together. The sea you have hidden Sheikh Usama Bin Laden's body in, we swear to Allah we will mix it with your blood."

The video link was posted on the Twitter feed of a website that supports ISIS. The video then showed the purported lifeless bloodied bodies of the hostages.

Thousands of Egyptians have gone to Libya to work since 2011, according to Reuters.