Egypt’s response to IS killings paves way for an all-out attack

Images of Egyptian fighter jets bombing Islamic State targets in Libya — on the heels of Jordan’s execution of prisoners linked to terrorist organizations — should serve as the backdrop for the U.N. Security Council debate on the creation of a military coalition to take on Islamic militants.

The Security Council met in emergency session Wednesday, three days after IS released a video showing the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians from Egypt. The captives, dressed in orange coveralls, were marched along the beach and were made to kneel in a row with the militants. concealed in black outfits, standing behind them.

The Christians’ heads were then chopped off.

This cold-blooded murder of the innocents was just as evil as the the killing of the Jordanian pilot earlier this month. Lt. Muath al- Kaseasbe was locked in a cage when he was doused with gasoline and then set aflame.

King Abdullah II acted swiftly, ordering the execution of two imprisoned militants linked to the terrorist group al-Qaida. One of the militants was a woman.

Aerial bombing

Likewise, Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi wasted little time in ordering the aerial bombing of Islamic State targets in Libya.

“We will not allow them to cut the heads off our children,” el-Sissi said. He called the beheading of the Egyptian Christians “a monstrous terrorist crime.”

The president urged the U.N. Security Council to back a military coalition that would take the fight to the Islamic State fighters operating inside Libya. That country has fallen victim to various Islamic militant groups since the ouster of long-time dictator Col. Moammar Gadhafi.

The self-styled Islamic State, also known as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, has been expanding its reach throughout North Africa and the Middle East, with the goal of establishing a Caliphate under Shariah law.

It has sought to finance its operations by holding hostages for ransom, taking control of oil refineries in Iraq and occupying large swaths of land in civil war-torn Syria.

Refusal to pay the ransom has resulted in the brutal slaying of Westerners, including several Americans.

The killing of the Jordanian pilot and the executions of the 21 Egyptians must be viewed as a declaration of war against all Muslim countries in the region that Islamic State militants view with suspicion.

Backlash

But rather than paralyze those nations, the brutality of the killings has caused a backlash. Governments from Cairo to Baghdad to Damascus have found common cause. In addition, the people on the streets are demanding revenge.

The U.N. Security Council must not react to this global threat with words alone. A military coalition, joining forces with the U.S.-led coalition that is battling IS in Iraq and Syria, is the only credible response from the international community.

Egypt’s Grand Mufti Shawki Allam publicly challenged Islamic State’s claim to religious superiority when he said, “The blood of our Christian children and brothers is the same blood as that of Muslims.”