CAIRO
Egypt's army on Monday deployed forces across the country, shortly after launching strikes against a Libyan group affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
Army spokesman Mohamed Samir said in a statement that the deployments were in line with decisions taken by the country's National Defense Council to protect vital institutions.
"Armed Forces personnel began to deploy in all provinces to protect public and private facilities, secure main roads and corridors and participate in hunting down criminals and outlaws," the spokesman said.
The statement came hours after Egyptian warplanes launched airstrikes against ISIL targets in eastern Libya.
The airstrikes came one day after a video appeared online showing the execution of 21 Egyptian Coptic-Christian workers in Libya by masked men purportedly belonging to ISIL.
In a televised address on Sunday following the video's appearance, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said his country "reserves the right to respond at the appropriate time to avenge the killing of its nationals."
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