29 Nov 2017 | 01:52 PM UTC
Egypt: President Al-Sisi orders military to restore security in Sinai Nov. 29
President Al-Sisi orders security forces to restore stability and security in Sinai peninsula within three months on November 29
Event
On Wednesday, November 29, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi ordered the Egyptian military to stabilize the restive Sinai peninsula within the next three months, telling security forces to use "all brute force necessary" to restore security in the region. The declaration comes a few days after the November 24 attack on a mosque in the town of Bir Al-Abed (North Sinai) that killed over 300 people. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, although an Islamic State (IS) affiliate is suspected.
Context
The November 24 attack took place in Bir Al-Abed, located approximately 40 km (25 mi) west of Al-Arish in North Sinai province, during Friday prayers at a Sufi mosque. Sufism is a mystical branch of Islam deemed heretical by hardline Islamists who criticize the use of shrines and reverence of saints. It was the deadliest attack in modern Egyptian history.
The Sinai Peninsula has been the site of frequent attacks by IS-affiliated militants since 2013 - usually targeting security forces or minority Coptic Christians. Previously, Al-Sisi warned that the risk of terrorism had increased in Egypt as IS's major territorial losses in Iraq and Syria have caused many of its militants to travel to Egypt.
Egypt is currently under a state of emergency, originally declared following IS attacks on churches in Alexandria and Tanta, which killed 44 people on Palm Sunday in April 2017.
Advice
Due to the prevailing threat of terrorism, individuals throughout Egypt should report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities and always be on guard when visiting sites deemed particularly vulnerable to an attack (public transportation, train stations, ports, airports, public or government buildings, embassies or consulates, international organizations, schools and universities, religious sites, markets, hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners/Westerners, festivals, etc.). Some governments advise their nationals against all travel to the Sinai Peninsula due to the persistent terrorist threat.
