ISIS Claims Responsibility for Attack on Coptic Christians' Bus in Egypt

The group known as "Islamic State" or ISIS claimed responsibility on Saturday for the attack by armed men on a bus carrying Coptic Christians in Egypt, which resulted in the deaths of 29 people. According to an Associated Press report, a statement published on the ISIS-affiliated news site, Amaq, claimed that 32 people were killed in this attack, but no details were provided regarding the discrepancy between this figure and the official numbers released by Egyptian authorities. As for the condition of the victims from the Friday attack, as reported by the Associated Press citing the Egyptian cabinet, 13 individuals remain hospitalized in clinics in Cairo and Minya. Since last December, this is the fourth attack by extremist groups in Egypt for which ISIS has claimed responsibility, and in these attacks, which included two in April and one in December, 104 people have been killed, many of whom are Coptic Christians. Coptic Christians make up 10% of Egypt's 92 million population. Since the attacks in April, which occurred on the eve of Easter, a three-month state of emergency has been declared in Egypt. On Saturday, it was also reported that the Egyptian army conducted airstrikes against the positions of militant groups in eastern Libya in retaliation for the Friday attack. A statement published on the "official Facebook page of the Egyptian army" emphasized that these airstrikes have continued "day and night" and have led to the "complete destruction" of militant positions. Earlier on Friday evening, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi emphasized that what happened during the Friday attack would "not go unanswered." He noted that a "severely painful" attack targeted militant bases and asserted that "Egypt will never hesitate to attack terrorist bases, wherever they may be." In these remarks, which were made in a televised message to the Egyptian people, he also called on U.S. President Donald Trump to take the lead in the global fight against terrorism. He assured Pope Tawadros II, the spiritual leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt, that his government would not rest until those responsible for this attack are punished. The massacre of Egyptian Christians has led to a wave of international condemnation. U.S. President Donald Trump condemned the massacre and called for punishment of those responsible for the attack, while Pope Francis, the leader of Catholics worldwide, expressed condolences to the families of the victims. In this context, the U.S. President condemned the massacre of Christians in Egypt, stating that the number of victims of the attack on the bus of Christians in Egypt has reached 28, and the attack on the bus of Christians in Egypt left at least 24 dead.