Egypt's military says it ‘gained complete control’ over Sinai

Egypt's military says it ‘gained complete control’ over Sinai

PanARMENIAN.Net - Egypt's military said on Thursday, April 24, it gained "complete control over the situation" in the Sinai Peninsula, where Islamist insurgents have been carrying out attacks against security forces for several months, Reuters reported.

Violence has spiraled in the Sinai since last July when the army toppled President Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, prompting militants who had previously focused on attacks against neighboring Israel to turn their attention to Egyptian police and military targets.

"There is obvious stability in Sinai despite rumors that there are still terrorist elements and tunnels in north Sinai," said Major General Mohamed al-Shahat, who heads Egyptian forces in the peninsula, in comments carried by state news agency MENA.

Reuters said its recent investigation found that a few hundred militants - a mix of Egyptian Islamists, foreign fighters and disgruntled youth - are successfully playing a cat-and-mouse game with Egypt's army and are nowhere near defeat.

Days after the report was published, Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who has since resigned his post to run for president, removed the top military official in the Sinai and appointed Shahat to replace him.

Sisi, who ousted Morsi in July following protests against his rule, is widely expected to win presidential elections scheduled for May 26-27.

Shahat spoke to reporters on the 32nd anniversary of the final Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai, which its forces had invaded in 1956 after Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal.

He said the army had destroyed more than 1,500 tunnels that ran under the frontier between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, which borders North Sinai, in an attempt to stop the illegal flow of arms.

The Sinai is a largely lawless 61,000 sq km area wedged between the Suez Canal to the west and Israel and Gaza to the east.

Militant attacks in Sinai, Cairo and other cities since July have killed around 500 people, mostly policemen and soldiers, according to the government.

 Top stories
Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive.
In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million).
The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot".
The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.
Partner news
---