The UN Security Council on Friday condemned "in the strongest terms" the terrorist attacks in the North of the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, which killed and injured dozens of Egyptian soldiers and civilians. In a press statement released here, the most powerful UN body underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, sponsors of the terrorist attack to justice, and urged all states to cooperate with the Egyptian Government in this regard. "The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable regardless of their motivation, wherever and whenever and by whomsoever committed," said the statement. Earlier in the day, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also condemned the deadly attacks and expressed condolences to the families of the victims. On Thursday evening, militants fired a barrage of rockets and set off car bombs in security premises in Arish, the capital city of North Sinai province, killing at least 33 people and injuring dozens of others. The attacks extended to two big security checkpoints in nearby Rafah city. Egypt has recently extended a curfew in many parts of North Sinai for another three months due to the unstable security conditions in the area amid recurrent terrorist attacks on security staff and facilities. Anti-security attacks have gripped Sinai and other parts across the country since the ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi by the military in July 2013 and the following crackdown on his supporters. Most of the attacks were claimed by Sinai-based al-Qaeda- inspired Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis group, which has recently changed its name to "Sinai State" after pledging loyalty to Islamic State, a radical Islamist group that has seized large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria. Source: Xinhua
