Egypt says global action needed to counter Islamic State

CAIRO: Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria are forging ties with other extremist groups in the region, Egypt's foreign minister said on Saturday, backing Washington's call for global action to counter the threat.

Militant groups that share Islamic State's ideology and "take Islam as a cover" must be dealt with, Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri told a joint news conference with US Secretary of State John Kerry in the Egyptian capital.

Egypt's strong public support for the US campaign against Islamic State contrasts with a mixed response elsewhere in the region and demonstrates how far Cairo has come in restoring its place as a premier US partner in the Arab world since its authoritarian crackdown and military takeover last year.

"We will take all measures that are intended to eliminate this phenomenon altogether, whether in Libya or any other part of the Arab world or in the African continent in particular," Shukri said.

Egypt's call for international action gives a needed boost to Kerry's bid to build global support for President Barack Obama's plan to strike both sides of the Syrian-Iraqi frontier and defeat Islamic State Sunni fighters.

Kerry won backing on Thursday for a "coordinated military campaign" against Islamic State from 10 Arab countries Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and six Gulf states including rich rivals Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

But the specific role of many countries in the coalition remains unclear. Few have publicly committed to military action or other steps, particularly in Syria where a three-year civil war still rages. Europe's response has been mixed.

Egypt's role is potentially crucial. Egyptian security officials fear they face a threat from Egyptian militants based across the border in Libya and from the Sinai-based Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, Egypt's most dangerous militant group. Both are linked to or inspired by Islamic State.

Islamic State, fighting to redraw the map of the Middle East, has been coaching Ansar, which has killed hundreds of members of the Egyptian security forces over the last year, a senior Ansar commander told Reuters this month.

"Ultimately this extremist ideology is shared by all terrorist groups. We detect ties of cooperation between them and see a danger as it crosses borders," said Shukri.