Al-Shorfa / #Etat_Islamique / #Egypt LEgypte continue son combat contre lEtat islamique ************** By Waleed Abu al-Khair in Cairo Egyptian security forces in Port Said last week said they had uncovered another recruitment cell for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The cell comprises eight people, four of whom are currently in Syria, according to the state-owned Middle East News Agency. Lt. Col. Amin al-Zaini, an Egyptian police official attached to Interpol, said the new ISIL-linked network was arrested in Port Said after close surveillance by Egyptian security agencies, including the national security apparatus and military intelligence, and the Interpol. TIGHT SECURITY MONITORING These security agencies are at the highest level of readiness, especially after the attack on the Egyptian army post in al-Farafra Oasis which killed at least 21 border guard soldiers, al-Zaini told Al-Shorfa. Extremist groups in Libya and the risk of their infiltration into Egypt and Egyptians who travelled to Syria for jihad and plan to return home both pose a threat to the country, he said. To thwart this danger, border control forces have raised their level of security readiness and all points of entry into Egypt have lists of the names of returning extremists, al-Zaini said. Meanwhile, he said, security forces are carrying out a crackdown on ISIL [in an effort to] stem its spread and stop its recruitment operations in conjunction with religious institutions, which have been successful in curbing the extremist religious discourse. Pulpits, sermons and religious courses have been checked, al-Zaini said, as such groups use these platforms as means to promote themselves, enabling them to recruit Egyptians under the cover of religion. Specialised online teams also are monitoring the activity of Egyptian extremists and tracking their movements, he said. ISIL DOES NOT REPRESENT SUNNIS Egypt was one of the first countries to announce and start the war on terrorism, in Sinai in particular, where there is fighting on a daily basis between the Egyptian army and Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, said military analyst and al-Qaeda affairs specialist Maj. Gen. Abdul Karim Ahmed, who is retired from the Egyptian army. Aside from the battles in Sinai, Egypt is playing a pivotal role in the war on terrorism as part of the international coalition combating ISIL in Syria and Iraq, he said, affirming Egypts support for the military phase of the coalitions plan, which comprises airstrikes and efforts to dry up ISILs finance sources. Egypt also is focusing on reshaping the religious discourse in the country, as the Ministry of Endowments and Al-Azhar are determined to promote Islams moderate viewpoints and expose the truth about suspicious fatwas promoted by terrorist groups, Ahmed said. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi declared his support for the war against ISIL in an interview with the Wall Street Journal on September 22nd. Egypt also signed the war on terrorism document inked in September in the Saudi city of Jeddah, Al-Sharq Centre for Regional and Strategic Studies researcher Sami Gheit told Al-Shorfa. Egypts participation in the war on terrorism carries great importance as the country has one of the largest Sunni populations [in the world], he said. The Egyptian position clearly demonstrates that ISIL and its ilk do not represent the true position of the Sunni sect, Gheit said. al-shorfa/en_GB/articles/meii/features/2014/10/15/feature-01
Posted on: Thu, 16 Oct 2014 04:12:11 +0000
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