Sisi, SCAF discuss state of military readiness nationwide

CAIRO – 15 September 2018: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi chaired the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) on Saturday, discussing the military’s readiness in North Sinai, said presidential spokesperson Bassam Radi in a statement.

The meeting has tackled the security situation nationwide and ways of combating terrorism, particularly in North Sinai, the statement added.

President Sisi praised efforts exerted by the armed forces in cooperation with the police for preserving the state’s vital institutions and for thwarting terrorist plots that could target the civilians, the statement said.

Since February 2018, the Armed Forces have launched a full-scale military operation titled "Sinai 2018" to confront terrorists in Sinai and other areas across the country.

Hundreds of militants were killed, and a buffer zone along the border with Gaza to curb the flow of militants and weapons infiltrating through underground tunnels to Egypt was built.

Five days ago, eleven terrorists were killed in an exchange of fire with security forces in North Sinai’s Arish. On July 3, three militants were killed and 59 criminals and suspects were arrested in the governorate.

Being neglected for dozens of years during the former President Hosni Mubarak’s ruling, North Sinai was a safe shelter for terrorists, who were targeting civilians, military, and security personnel following the 25 January 2011 Revolution. The terrorism escalated after the ouster of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi since July 3, 2013 and follwoing the dispersal of pro-Muslim Brotherhood sit-ins in Nahdah and Rabaa squares on August 14, 2013.