Egypt denies role in Libya air strikes

Egypt Sunday denied its role in air strikes on positions controlled by Islamist militants in the Libyan capital Tripoli Friday night, in which 11 fighters were killed.

"Egypt clearly denies press reports circulating that Egyptian warplanes raided positions held by armed Islamist militia in the Libyan capital," Xinhua quoted a statement from Egypt's foreign ministry as saying.

The militants in Libya have claimed that Egypt along with the United Arab Emirates were behind the recent air strikes on their bases around Tripoli Airport Friday night.

"The press reports are inaccurate and baseless," the statement said.

The armed groups were under sporadic air strikes since the past week, but the identities of the warplanes were still a mystery. Libya's Air Staff said in a statement Monday that it had received evidence showing that the air strikes were launched by foreign warplanes.