US-Egypt counterterrorism partnership is critical: Congressman Ted Deutch

CAIRO – 20 May 2022: US Congressman and Chair of Ethics Committee and Middle East, North Africa and Global Counterterrorism Subcommittee Ted Deutch condemned the two recent attacks against Egyptian soldiers in Sinai.

In a tweet on Thursday, he expressed his condolences to the Egyptian people.

I condemn the two recent attacks against Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai and express my condolences to the Egyptian people.

The US-Egypt counterterrorism partnership is critical, and we stand with Egypt against terror and violence.

— Rep. Ted Deutch (@RepTedDeutch) May 19, 2022

He added “The US-Egypt counterterrorism partnership is critical, and we stand with Egypt against terror and violence.

Security forces managed, Thursday to eliminate a suicide bomber who attempted to launch an attack against a security checkpoint in North Sinai’s Tolool area, Egypt’s Ministry of Interior said in a statement.

Security forces in a security installation exchanged gunfire with the suicide bomber and killed him as he attempted to target the security checkpoint, the ministry said.

The security forces seized an explosive belt, two grenades, an automatic weapon, four weapon magazines, and 112 bullets of the same caliber in the killed terrorist’s possession, the statement said.

“This comes in continuation of the Interior Ministry’s efforts in countering the desperate attempts by terrorist elements to target Armed Forces and police personnel and [harm] the state’s resources,” the statement said.

On Sunday, the Egyptian Armed Forces announced targeting a number of terrorist hideouts and killing four takfiris in North Sinai over the past three days.

This came few days after a military officer and four soldiers were killed in a terrorist attack in North Sinai, the Armed Forces announced on 11 May. Seven of the attackers were also killed and a collection of machine guns, walkie talkies, hand grenades, and ammunition were seized.

The spokesperson of the armed forces said in a statement that the military would “avenge the martyrs in its ranks,” and that such “desperate attempts by the forces of evil and those who assist them would only increase our troops’ insistence on security and safety for the great people of Egypt.”