CAIRO: Egyptian security officials met with Bedouin elders in the Sinai Peninsula on Saturday evening in preparation for an assault on “extremist” groups in the governorate, sources said. Ahmed Gamal al-Din, assistant minister of interior for public security, met with the elders, the security chief of North Sinai and a number of security heads in Arish, North Sinai. The meeting discussed the necessity of cooperation with security forces to apprehend escaped convicts, outlaws and extremists. Gamal al-Din said the cooperation of the elders is necessary to improve the security situation in Sinai. The elders talked about how Bedouins are marginalized and demanded that judgments ruled in absentia be dropped in order for stability to return to the region. Gamal al-Din also finalized preparations for an attack on extremist groups in the coming days. A meeting was held with all security agencies in the early hours of Sunday morning to discuss all matters related to security and the deployment of forces in various regions of the Sinai Peninsula. The governor of North Sinai Abdul Wahab Mabrouk, announced that he was coordinating between the public security staff and the army to restore stability and security to Sinai. BM
