BBC Egypt President Sisi warns of 'long battle' with militants Egypt faces a long and difficult battle with militants, the country's president has said, in his first remarks since a deadly attack in the Sinai region. Abdul Fatah al-Sisi spoke a day after a group linked to Islamic State said it killed at least 32 soldiers. "This battle will be difficult, strong, evil and will take a long time," he said in comments broadcast on state TV. In his speech, made after meeting military chiefs and broadcast on national TV, Mr Sisi insisted the militant threat was a danger not just to Egypt but to the wider Middle East. Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-31074002 The Jerusalem Post Report: Egyptian warplanes bomb Islamist terror bases in Sinai after deadly attacks Following the attacks carried out by Islamists in the Sinai Peninsula on Thursday in which twenty-seven people were killed, Egyptian army warplanes were bombing terrorist bases in the area on Saturday, Egyptian media reported. Islamic State's Egypt wing claimed responsibility for the Thursday attacks in some of the worst anti-state violence in months, after commemorations around the anniversary of the 2011 uprising turned deadly this week. The Egyptian army has also decided to deploy special forces to the northern Sinai in the wake of the Thursday attacks, Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported on Saturday. Read more: http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Report-Egyptian-military-bombing-Islamist-terror-bases-in-Sinai-after-deadly-attacks-389555 The Times of Israel Hamas says Egypt no longer a viable mediator with Israel A source close to Hamas's armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, said Saturday the group no longer recognizes Egypt as a broker with Israel, following an Egyptian court's decision to label the group a terrorist organization. "After the court's decision Egypt is no longer a mediator in Palestinian-Israeli matters," a Hamas source told Reuters on Saturday, hours after the court's ruling. Cairo has long been a go-between for both parties and has played a pivotal role in brokering a number of ceasefires in Gaza, including at the end of last summer's war. Ismail Haniyeh, the group's former prime minister in the Gaza Strip, lambasted Cairo over the announcement, saying "you [Egyptians] have lost your sense of justice." "The Brigades are a source of pride, respect and bravery," he said, according to Ynet. Read more: http://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-says-egypt-no-longer-a-viable-mediator-with-israel/#ixzz3QTXfVFE5 The Jerusalem Post Analysis: Egypt and the new terror onslaught Why can't the Egyptian army, arguably the strongest and largest Arab army in the Middle East, defeat a terrorist organization in an integral part of the country, the Sinai Peninsula? After all, the regime rushed huge reinforcements to the area, including helicopters, armored personnel carriers and other heavy equipment. The media in Egypt, which enjoys greater freedom than in the past, is vocal in its criticism of the president, who came from the ranks of the army and had pledged to eradicate terrorism. The army has met with some success. Some 1,850 contraband tunnels were destroyed, hundreds of terrorists killed or jailed. It has become only too apparent that after 18 months of intensive efforts in Sinai, the army still does not know how to fight guerrillas. The problem of course is that the Egyptian army was never properly trained for that type of warfare – not by its own commanders and not through American military assistance. That assistance included training in military academies in the US and joint military exercises. Read more: http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Analysis-Egypt-and-the-new-terror-onslaught-389606
