Egypt urges facing extremism as part of anti-IS coalition's strategy

CAIRO – 15 November 2019: Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Thursday took part in a ministerial meeting in Washington for the global coalition to combat the Islamic State (IS), hosted by the US Department of State.

The meeting was attended by Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, and a number of ministers and representatives from the coalition's member states.

Shoukry praised, during his speech, the coalition's recent achievements in defeating IS in Syria and Iraq, stressing the need for the coalition to continue its efforts to prevent the terrorist group from achieving its malicious purpose, foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez said.



He also called for intensifying cooperation and coordination among members of the coalition and highlighted the need to stop any states that may ise terrorism as a tool to achieve political interests.

The minister highlighted the need for the coalition to focus also on confronting the extremist ideology promoted by IS. He expressed Egypt's willingness and desire, through Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, the country's religious reference, and Dar Al-Ifta, the authority tasked with issuing Islamic rulings, to cooperate with the coalition in this regard.

He also stressed the importance of facing the threat posed by IS wherever it exists, within the framework of respect and full compliance with international law.

Concerning the Syrian issue, Shoukry warned against the serious repercussions from the violation of Syrian sovereignty, in violation of the rules of international law and the Charter of the United Nations.

Shoukry underlined the need for the coalition to adhere to the unity, safety and sovereignty of Syria and its people. He also referred to the destructive impact of the Turkish aggression, including the exit of foreign terrorist fighters from areas that have come under Turkish control in Syria and their access to other countries.

The Egyptian foreign minister affirmed Egypt's full commitment to the objectives of the coalition, and to continue supporting both Iraq and Syria in their efforts to achieve stability, re-build their institutions and restore public facilities in areas liberated from IS.



Egypt has been a huge supporter of the war against IS terrorist group, as it has been engaged in a war against terrorist organizations, mainly Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdes, an IS affiliate. In October, Egyptian MP Abdel Moneim Al-Eleimy suggested that the international community agrees on establishing a global fund to face and eliminate terrorism worldwide.

Shoukry earlier in October also welcomed the news about US success to eliminate IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a raid in Syria's Idlib, an official statement read.

The death of Baghdadi was confirmed by US President Donald Trump in a speech at the White House. Iraq and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces claim they had provided the location of the top dangerous terrorist to the US, based on intelligence information.

Hafez said that such progress highlights the need to continue to consolidate international efforts to confront all forms of terrorism, asserting that all takfiri terrorist organizations, including IS, Al-Qaeda, and Muslim Brotherhood stem from the same extremist ideological source.

The Egyptian state has labeled the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization since late in 2013, after their leader, Mohamed Morsi, who served at the time as the country's president, was ousted following popular uprising, January 30 Revolution. Morsi, who ruled for only one year, died earlier this year.