Two #Egyptians Killed in #Libya

Smoke billows over Tripoli during fighting

Two Egyptians were killed at their workplace Thursday in an airstrike that hit their workshop in the northeastern Libyan city of Ajdabia.

Egypt’s ambassador to Libya, who is based in Cairo, received news of their death Thursday evening.

According to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Egyptians have been identified as Ahmed Hassan Hagag and Magued Hassan.

Egyptians residing in Libya have been caught up in the country’s internal conflict which has recently proliferated.

Accordingly, Egypt has warned against travel to Libyan territories and called for Egyptians living in Libya to exercise extreme caution.

Violence intensified in Libya particularly since 2014, when conflicting parties sought to take control of the country.

The Libyan capital Tripoli fell under the control of the Fajr Libya or Libya Dawn Islamist militia in August 2014.

Meanwhile, Egypt and the international community only recognise authorities based in the eastern Libyan city of Tobruk.

Last February, Egypt’s air force launched coordinated airstrikes on militant targets in the city of Derna, known to be a stronghold of Islamist militias in response to the beheading of 20 Coptic Christian Egyptians at the hands of militants believed to belong to the Libya division of the Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).