Image copyright EPA Image caption The funeral of some victims killed in the attack took place later in the day

Egyptian forces have struck "terrorist training camps" in retaliation for an attack on Coptic Christians, President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has said.

State media say six strikes hit the town of Derna in neighbouring Libya.

Gunmen earlier attacked a bus carrying worshippers in central Egypt, killing at least 28 people and wounding 25 others.

President Sisi said he would "not hesitate to strike terrorist camps anywhere".

Announcing the strike in a TV speech late on Friday, he promised to "protect our people from the evil".

Countries supporting terrorism should be punished, he said, as he appealed to US President Donald Trump for help.

Military sources told Reuters news agency that the militants targeted in Libya had been involved in the attack on Egyptian Christians earlier in the day.

Although no group immediately said it was behind the attack, Islamic State (IS) militants have targeted Copts several times in recent months.

Libya is effectively controlled by a large number of armed militias that have emerged in the chaos since Nato-backed forces overthrew long-serving ruler Col Muammar Gaddafi in October 2011.

But IS has also built a presence in Libya during the chaos.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Aftermath of attack on bus carrying Coptic Christians

Egypt has launched air strikes against IS in Libya before. In 2015, the military bombed several sites, also near Derna, after militants released a video showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians.

The Copts killed on Friday had been travelling to the Monastery of St Samuel the Confessor, 135km (85 miles) south of Cairo, from Minya province when their bus came under fire.

It was in a small convoy that was stopped on a desert road near a police station on the border with Beni Suef provinces.

Gunmen wearing military uniforms attacked the convoy with automatic weapons before fleeing in 4X4 vehicles, eyewitnesses said.

Minya Province Bishop Makarios said many of the victims were shot at point blank range, the New York Times reported.

He said that children had been on the bus and were among the dead, adding that a pick-up truck in the convoy carrying workmen at the monastery was also targeted.

Minutes after President Sisi's speech, the White House released a statement of support from Mr Trump.

"This merciless slaughter of Christians in Egypt tears at our hearts and grieves our souls," he said.

"America stands with President Sisi and all the Egyptian people today, and always, as we fight to defeat this common enemy," he added.

Copts make up about 10% of Egypt's population of 92 million.

Two suicide bombings at Palm Sunday services at churches in the northern cities of Alexandria and Tanta on 9 April left 46 people dead.

Those attacks prompted President Sisi to declare a three-month nationwide state of emergency and promise to do whatever was necessary to confront jihadist militants, most of whom are based in northern Sinai.

But many Copts complain that the Egyptian authorities are not doing enough to protect them, says the BBC's Orla Guerin in Cairo.

There is now a real sense of fear, and a feeling of being hunted, she adds.</s>Egyptian fighter jets have struck militant camps following the deadly attack on Egypt's Coptic Christians, President Abdel Fattah Sisi has announced. The strikes were carried out in eastern Libya, state television said."We will not hesitate to protect our people from the evil," he said in a televised speech on Friday.Egypt carried out six air strikesiin Derna in eastern Libya, state television reported adding that it is where the militants who carried out the deadly attack on the Coptic Christians were trained.Egypt's military said that the air strikes are ongoing, local media reports.The Egyptian president also directly addressed Donald Trump to take the lead in fighting terrorism."I direct my appeal to President Trump: I trust you, your word and your ability to make fighting global terror your primary task," he said.On Friday President Trump condemned the attacks on Egypt's Coptic Christians, denouncing the "thuggish ideology" and "evil organizations of terror."</s>Egypt on Friday carried out air strikes in Libya directed at camps believed to be belonging to the militants responsible for the deadly attack on Coptic Christians earlier in the day. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (pictured above) announced the news about the strikes in a TV address and said sponsored terrorism would be punished.

“The terrorist incident that took place today will not pass unnoticed,” Sisi said. “We are currently targeting the camps where the terrorists are trained.” Unidentified sources in the Egyptian Army told Reuters that the country had carried out six strikes in Derna, eastern Libya. The Egyptians were joined by east Libyan forces for the operation.

On Friday, masked attackers shot dead 29 people and wounded 26 others in Egypt. The victims were on their way to a Coptic Christian monastery when the shootings took place. While no group has claimed responsibility for the attack targeting the country’s religious minority, the Islamic State had admitted to having perpetrated blasts against the community in the past.</s>Egypt strikes 'terrorist camps' in Libya in response to attack on Coptic Christians (VIDEOS)</s>CAIRO: The Egyptian military is continuing to carry out air strikes against militant training camps outside the country, state television reported on Saturday.

It did not say exactly where the strikes were being conducted.

On Friday, Egyptian fighter jets carried out six air strikes directed at camps in Libya which Cairo says have been training militants who killed 29 Coptic Christians and wounded 24 in southern Egypt.</s>CAIRO, May 26 (Reuters) - The Egyptian military said on Friday that air strikes it launched against militant bases in Libya in response to an attack by gunmen on Christians in Egypt were still in progress.

The military said it carried out the strikes on extremist camps in Libya after making sure that men from those camps were involved in the attack on Coptic Christians earlier on Friday that left 28 dead.</s>CAIRO, May 27 (Reuters) - Egyptian air raids over Libya have destroyed several camps that trained the militants who killed dozens of Christians in southern Egypt on Friday, the Egyptian military said on Saturday.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, the latest directed at Egypt's increasingly embattled Christian minority following two church bombings last month that killed more than 45, also claimed by the group.

The statement from the military spokesman did not specify precisely where the strikes were conducted but state television said on Friday that operations were focused on the eastern Libyan city of Derna.

"The air force has conducted several intensive day and night-time strikes. They targeted several gatherings of terrorists elements within Libyan territory after coordinating and fully verifying all information," it said.

"The strikes led to the destruction of the planned targets, which included concentrated areas for the training of terrorist elements that participated in the planning and implementation of the Minya attack," it said.

On Friday, Egyptian fighter jets carried out six air strikes directed at camps in Libya which Cairo says have been training militants who killed 29 Coptic Christians and wounded 24 in a shooting spree in the Egyptian province of Minya.

A video uploaded to the military's Facebook page depicted fighter jets being loaded with missiles and taking off as well as aerial footage of air strikes.

In an address to the nation on Friday following the Minya shooting, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Egypt would not hesitate to carry out further strikes against camps that trained people to carry out operations against Egypt, whether those camps were inside or outside the country. (Reporting by Omar Fahmy; writing by Eric Knecht; editing by David Clarke)</s>CAIRO, May 27 (Reuters) - The Egyptian military is continuing to carry out air strikes against militant training camps outside the country, state television reported on Saturday.

It did not say exactly where the strikes were being conducted.

On Friday, Egyptian fighter jets carried out six air strikes directed at camps in Libya which Cairo says have been training militants who killed 29 Coptic Christians and wounded 24 in southern Egypt. (Reporting by Omar Fahmy; writing by Eric Knecht; editing by David Clarke)</s>Egypt has launched airstrikes on “terror camps” in Libya in response to the slaughter of Coptic Christians earlier on Friday.

The country’s air force launched six strikes over its western border on Friday evening, with state media reporting jihadist training camps in the Libyan port city of Derna were targeted.

The area, in the east of Libya, is controlled by jihadists close to Al-Qaeda.

The action followed the killing of at least 28 people when masked gunmen attacked a bus of Coptic Christians travelling south of Egyptian capital Cairo.

A large number of the victims were reported to be children, including a two-year-old girl.

Announcing the strikes, Egypt’s president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi insisted he would “not hesitate in striking terror camps anywhere”, whether inside his country or outside.

In a message to US president Donald Trump, the Egyptian leader added: “You have said that your priority is to confront terrorism, and I trust you are capable of doing that.”</s>CAIRO: Egypt launched a fresh round of air strikes over Libya on Saturday, Egyptian military sources and an eyewitness told Reuters, targeting militant camps it said were responsible for a shooting spree that killed dozens of Egyptian Christians. On Friday, Egyptian fighter jets struck eastern Libya just hours after a shooting that killed 29 and wounded 24 in the southern Egyptian province of Minya when masked militants boarded vehicles en route to a monastery and opened fire at close range. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, the latest directed at Egypt’s increasingly embattled Christian minority following two church bombings last month that killed more than 45, also claimed by the group.
The Egyptian Air Force strikes militant camps in eastern Libya in retaliation to the Minya attack, according to state media.