Egypt's Defence Minister Sedki Sobhy and Interior Minister Magdy Abdel-Ghaffar met with security forces in North Sinai, the armed forces said on Friday. In an official statement, the army said the two ministers also toured the city of El-Arish accompanied by North Sinai security director and Second Army field commander Nasser Al-Assi. During the meeting, Sobhy passed on President's Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi regards and appreciation for the forces' defence of the country, honouring a number of army and police officers for their sucess in some security operations. “There has been no slacking in the protection of Egypt's national security and in cleansing Sinai from all forms of extremism and terrorism thanks to the cohesion of the honourable people of Sinai who stand in the same trench with the armed forces and police,” Sobhy said. The minister discussed efforts by the country's institutions to restore security, stability and development, saying that Sinai “will remain a symbol of the triumph of the will of the great Egyptian people." Abdel-Ghaffar discussed ongoing security efforts to foil militant attacks. Egypt's army and police forces have been waging a war over the past several years against an Islamist militant insurgency in North Sinai, concentrated in the cities of Arish, Rafah and Sheikh Zweid. Hundreds of security personnel have been killed in terror attacks by militants. The army says it has killed hundreds of militants in intensified comprehensive military campaigns in the governorate since 2013.
