25 000 Egyptians return from Libya

Cairo - More than 25 000 Egyptians have returned from neighbouring Libya since the ISIS group posted a video earlier this month of the beheadings of Christian compatriots, the foreign ministry said on Friday.

Egypt carried out air strikes against jihadist targets in Libya on 16 February in retaliation for the executions of the 21 Copts and urged its large expatriate workforce to head home for their own safety.

The foreign ministry said 21 407 Egyptians had returned overland through the Sallum border crossing, while another 4 122 had crossed into Tunisia, from where they were flown home on government-chartered flights.