President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi held a meeting with the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) on Tuesday ahead of the 6th of October war anniversary. Al-Sisi began the meeting by reviewing progress in internal security and the efforts undertaken by the military to eradicate extremists from the Sinai peninsula. He also reviewed security efforts to secure country borders to prevent human trafficking and illegal goods smuggling. Al-Sisi ordered the armed forces to continue working at full capacity and be fully alert of the security situation, especially with the escalating regional security turbulence. Moreover, the SCAF reviewed a number of regional issues including the situation in Libya, Yemen, and Syria as part of Egypt's efforts to maintain Arab unity and regional stability. The situation in the North Sinai governorate has become precarious following the ouster of Muslim Brotherhood regime in 2013. Many attacks have been targeting and killing security officials and conscripts, including police personnel, over the past three years, while military airstrikes have managed to kill a large number of militants including a senior "Sinai Province" leader. Thousands of Egyptian workers have returned from Libya through the Salloum border after an increase in the number terrorist attacks carried out by IS militants in some cities, especially in Sirte. The most notorious attack against Egyptians workers in Libya took place in February 2015 when 20 Egyptians appeared to be beheaded in a video posted online by Islamic State affiliates.
