Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has extended on Tuesday the state of emergency imposed in several parts of the Sinai Peninsula for another three months. The presidential decree published in the state's official newspaper on Tuesday dictates that the state of emergency will be effective starting Jul. 29. The decision involves the imposition of a curfew that begins at 7 PM and ends at 6 AM in the places where the state of emergency is in effect with the exception of al-Arish town whose curfew starts at 1 AM and ends at 5 AM "until further notice." Sisi had declared a state of emergency and a curfew in October 2014 in the border province for an initial three months in reaction to a militant attack that 33 security personnel killed. The Islamic State-affiliate Sinai Province group claimed responsibility for the attack. The state of emergency imposed in a number of areas in Sinai has been renewed several times since. In parallel, the Egyptian military says it has killed hundreds of "terrorists" in the context of the "Martyr's Right" military operation which was launched by the security forces also in response to the Oct. 2014 attack. North Sinai militants have stepped up attacks targeting security forces since the military ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 after mass protests against his rule. Source: Aswat Masriya
