Egypt Airstrikes ISIS Locations In Libya, A Retaliatory Action Against the Mass Killing Of Egyptian Christians

The Egyptian military has confirmed on Monday that it has bombed key ISIS locations in Libya in order to avenge itself on the terrorist organization, which decapitated 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians.

"The airstrikes hit their targets accurately and our eagles returned to their bases safely," an official statement was released on the state television of Egypt.

The video footage of the mass killing released by ISIS on Sunday had all the attributes of a typical ISIS hostage execution that the world has seen on previous occasions, has increased international concerns about ISIS' growing powers beyond its strongholds Syria and Iraq. 

The killings of Egyptian nationals are reportedly carried out by a Libyan affiliate of ISIS.

The President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi confirmed that killings of Egyptian citizens and expressed his grief over the gory massacre.

Twenty-one Egyptian Christians were abducted from the Libyan coastal city of Sirte in two separate incidents in December and January, and all of them are believed to be killed by the Islamic extremists. 

The brutal incident is being strongly criticized by the global community. Members of the UN Security Council have also criticized the barbarity of the terrorists and called it 'the heinous and cowardly apparent murder'.

"This crime once again demonstrates the brutality of ISIL, which is responsible for thousands of crimes and abuses against people from all faiths, ethnicities and nationalities, and without regard to any basic value of humanity," the official UN statement read.

Coptic Christians are part of the Orthodox Christian tradition and is one of the three main Christian traditions, other two being Catholicism and Protestantism. Coptic Christians split themselves from others in the 5th century over the question of divinity of Jesus Christ.

The amount of damage done by the airstrikes is yet to be found out.

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Unknown Gunmen Hold Many People Hostage In Lindt Cafe, Sydney

A gunman is holding an undisclosed number of people hostage in a central Sydney cafe called Lindt. According to a local TV channel, some of the hostages are being forced to hold a black banner with white Arabic slogan written on it to the window.  Australian PM Tony Abbot says that the incident seems to be a politically motivated one.

"This is a very disturbing incident. I can understand the concerns and anxieties of the Australian people," he told the media in Canberra. He did not provide any info on the unfolding of events.

Australia is a strong ally of the US in its offensive in Syria and Iraq against the ISIS militia, and is on high alert for attacks from the home-grown Islamic militants.

The CEO of the cafe says that there are around 30 customers and 10 staffs inside the cafe right now.

The New South Wales police says that it dealing with the armed incident. Around four hours after the incident, the Police Commissioner of NSW, Andrew Sipion, says that the police is not in contact with the gunmen. 

The PM, Tony Abbot, has appealed the police that they should not panic and work in  a normal way. He has also said that the government is keeping an eye on the incident.

It should be noted that the cafe is situated in Martin Place, in the heart of the city; the area happens be home to the Reserve Bank of Australia, commercial banks, and is close to the New South Wales state parliament.

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