Arab countries condemn North Sinai terrorist attack

CAIRO - 12 May 2022: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) condemned the terrorist attack in North Sinai, where a military officer and four soldiers were killed, along with seven of the attackers.

The Egyptian 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 achieving security and safety for the great people of Egypt.”

In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry condemned in the strongest terms the treacherous terrorist attack, announcing its full support for Egypt against terrorism in all forms. The Saudi Kingdom also offered its sincere condolences to the families of the victims, Egypt’s people and government.

UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al- Nahyan also strongly condemned in a statement the cowardly terrorist attack, underscoring the UAE’s strong rejection of such terrorist acts, as well as of all forms of violence aimed at destabilising security and peace, in contravention of humanitarian values and principles.

His Highness affirmed the UAE's solidarity and support with Egypt in confronting terrorists, and in taking all measures to protect the country’s security and stability from these criminal attacks, the statement added.

Moreover, Sheikh Abdullah expressed his sincere condolences to the government of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and to the victims’ families, wishing all the injured a speedy recovery, and wishing the Egyptian people continued security and stability.

Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Nayef Falah M. Al-Hajraf denounced the terrorist attack, expressing his strong condemnation of the cowardly terrorist acts that have been repeated recently.  “He also expressed permanent rejection of all forms of violence aimed at destabilizing security and stability, and come in contravention of humanitarian values and principles,” the GCC said in a statement.

“Hajraf reiterated the firm position of the GCC states and their solidarity with the brotherly Arab Republic of Egypt in confronting terrorists, stressing their full support in the measures taken to protect Egypt's security and stability from such heinous attacks,” the statement read.

Hajraf offered his sincere condolences to the government of Egypt, and to the families of the victims, wishing a speedy recovery to all the injured.

Earlier on Saturday, a terrorist attack on a water station in Western Sinai killed 11 military personnel, drawing worldwide condemnation. This comes as the state attempts to revive North Sinai economically by infrstruscture projects. 

A "takfiri" is someone who labels others who oppose his ideology as infidels, hence giving himself and people who share his ideology the permission to kill those "infidels," regardless whether those against the ideology identify as Muslim or not.

The term is often used by the military alonogside "terrorist" to refer to armed men in Sinai.