African leaders gather in Aswan to navigate global shifts and continental progress    Egypt's FM joins Sahel region roundtable at Aswan Forum    Egypt's Public Enterprise Minister discusses tourism projects with TMG    Egypt successfully hosts Egyptian Amateur Open golf championship with 19-nation turnout    Africa can lead global recovery, Egypt's Sisi tells Aswan Forum    Egypt, WHO sign 2024-2028 country cooperation strategy    From Impression to Analysis: What International Performance Indicators Reveal about Egypt    Supply Minister: No change in subsidised bread price amid diesel hike    Egypt to launch new export system to streamline trade, boost competitiveness    Health ministers adopt 'Cairo Call to Action' to tackle breast cancer across Eastern Mediterranean    Al-Sisi reviews Cairo Airport's new terminal project designed to handle 30 million passengers annually    Egypt's Al-Mashat discusses MIGA portfolio, second EU assistance tranche with officials    Pakistan says preemptive strikes thwarted planned militant attacks from Afghanistan    Egypt, India hold first strategic dialogue to deepen ties    Egypt: Guardian of Heritage, Waiting for the World's Conscience    Egypt, Qatar sign MoU to boost cooperation in healthcare, food safety    Egypt, UK, Palestine explore financing options for Gaza reconstruction ahead of Cairo conference    Egypt will never relinquish historical Nile water rights, PM says    Egypt explores cooperation with Chinese firms to advance robotic surgery    AUC makes history as 1st global host of IMMAA 2025    Al Ismaelia launches award-winning 'TamaraHaus' in Downtown Cairo revival    Al-Sisi, Burhan discuss efforts to end Sudan war, address Nile Dam dispute in Cairo talks    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile actions, calls for global water cooperation    Egypt unearths one of largest New Kingdom Fortresses in North Sinai    Egypt unearths New Kingdom military fortress on Horus's Way in Sinai    Egypt Writes Calm Anew: How Cairo Engineered the Ceasefire in Gaza    Egypt's acting environment minister heads to Abu Dhabi for IUCN Global Nature Summit    Egyptian Open Amateur Golf Championship 2025 to see record participation    Cairo's Al-Fustat Hills Park nears completion as Middle East's largest green hub – PM    Syria releases preliminary results of first post-Assad parliament vote    Karnak's hidden origins: Study reveals Egypt's great temple rose from ancient Nile island    Egypt resolves dispute between top African sports bodies ahead of 2027 African Games    Egypt reviews Nile water inflows as minister warns of impact of encroachments on Rosetta Branch    Egypt aims to reclaim global golf standing with new major tournaments: Omar Hisham    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Counter-terrorism operations continue
Published in Ahram Online on 03 - 08 - 2021

In the framework of the ongoing nationwide counter-terrorism drive, the Egyptian Armed Forces have delivered a succession of blows to terrorist operatives and infrastructure over recent days.
According to a statement from the General Command of the Armed Forces on Sunday, a series of coordinated military operations succeeded in killing 89 "extremely dangerous" jihadists in North Sinai and seizing 73 machine guns, a drone equipped with a camera, communications equipment, and sums of money.
The Armed Forces also destroyed 404 explosive devices planted on roads, four explosive belts, and 52 vehicles and 59 motorcycles used by jihadists. The operations unearthed and destroyed 13 openings to tunnels used by terrorists to infiltrate into Sinai.
To the west, Egyptian border guards tracked, targeted, and destroyed 200 four-wheel drive vehicles, some carrying weapons and ammunition, as they attempted to penetrate prohibited zones along Egypt's western and southern borders.
Eight soldiers were killed or wounded in the course of "the valiant combat efforts of our Armed Forces in the areas of operations," the Armed Forces communiqué said.
The statement shows, firstly, that the Armed Forces have sustained the strategy of pre-emptive counterterrorist strikes in four strategic directions. As the previous General Command statement was issued on 8 December 2020, it is possible to assume that the statement released this week covers operations carried out during the last nine months.
Secondly, it shows that terrorists are still active in North Sinai and are trying to procure weapons, ammunition, and explosives from sources abroad. The presence of a surveillance drone among the seized equipment is noteworthy, as it is an indication of the terrorists' narrowing scope of movement as a result of the Armed Forces' control over the theatre of operations in Sinai.
It is also indicative of their ability to frustrate the terrorists' attempts to seek alternative equipment as a way of compensating for their lack of manoeuvrability. The sealing of the tunnels reflects the Armed Forces' ongoing efforts to prevent the infiltration of terrorist elements from Gaza.
Thirdly, the statement shows that the security situation in western Libya continues to pose a threat to Egypt's eastern border, especially towards the south in the vicinity of the intersection with Egypt's border with Sudan. Mercenary organisations have proliferated in these areas, a situation that the terrorist organisations in Sinai hope to benefit from. It is believed that at least some of the mercenary organisations are in the pay of powers hostile to Egypt.
The recent military cooperation agreements with both Libya and Sudan, Egypt's augmented defence capacities along all land and maritime borders, the Armed Forces' increasingly honed skills in monitoring and intercepting threats, and other such factors reflect the qualitative technological and operational progress that Egyptian counterterrorist operations have attained in the battle against terrorism in the Middle East.
Such progress is of the essence in view of the growing presence of terrorist organisations in the North African Sahel region.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 5 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly


Clic here to read the story from its source.