President Trump on Friday condemned the "merciless slaughter of Christians in Egypt" and urged "all who value life" to confront terrorists' "war against civilization." At least 26 people, including children, were killed Friday when eight gunmen dressed in military uniforms attacked a bus and a pickup truck carrying Coptic Christians. The Coptic Christians, a minority group that has long faced discrimination in Egypt, were traveling to St. Samuel Monastery in Egypt's Minya province, located south of Cairo.
"Civilization is at a precipice — and whether we climb or fall will be decided by our ability to join together to protect all faiths, all religions, and all innocent life," Trump said in the statement, pushing for everyone to unite "for the righteous purpose of crushing the evil organizations or terror, and exposing their depraved, twisted, and thuggish ideology."