Egypt’s parliament permits President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi for possible military intervention in Libya by approving the deployment of troops to fight “terrorist groups” and “militias”.
Last week Sisi had warned that Egypt would not stand idle if it faced any direct threats to Egyptian and Libyan security.
All present MPs in the Egyptian parliament voted in favor of sending troops to Libya and stated it would be an act of defending national security on the “strategic western front against the work of armed criminal militias and foreign terrorist elements.”
Egypt has taken part in airstrikes on suspected militants in Libya since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Egypt, alongside its allies the United Arab Emirates and Russia, supports Haftar, an ex-Gaddafi general who assembled a force in eastern Libya.
Whereas, Turkey backs the UN and internationally recognized Tripoli government.
Haftar allied eastern-based Libyan parliament called on Egypt this month to militarily intervene in Libya to battle Turkey.
The eastern-based Libyan parliament’s president welcomed Cairo’s move on Monday, a spokesman said.
Egyptian state TV after the parliamentary approval ran banners on the screen saying: “Egypt and Libya, one people, one fate.”
This is the first time since the 1991 US-led coalition, to drive out Iraqi troops in Kuwait, that Egypt has sent troops abroad to battle.