Egypt Asking UN to Form Coalition to Defeat ISIS
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iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — The United Nations Security Council is meeting Wednesday to discuss a request by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to build an international coalition to fight the Islamic State.
El-Sisi’s request comes after Egyptian war jets bombed ISIS targets in Libya following the group’s mass execution of 21 Egyptian Christians in that country, which has been in a constant state of upheaval since dictator Muammar Gadhafi was overthrown and killed in 2011.
Although most of the international community agrees that ISIS poses a major threat to regions outside the Middle East, creating a large coalition to fight the extremists appears unlikely.
It’s believed that el-Sisi probably knows this already but is using efforts to defeat ISIS as a way to smooth relations with the West following the military coup that ultimately brought him to power.
Just the same, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry will present his government’s arguments to the U.N. Security Council. The ministry is also warning Egyptians living in Libya to return home.
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