Readers will recollect that just a few days back Islamic Militants ambushed a large police patrol party in Giza, about 135 kilometres outside the capital Cairo, as the police were carrying out search operations for a militant hideout. The attack was ferocious and as reported by the State News Agency MENA dozens of policemen were killed. Observers have put the death toll at 58 and these deaths have stunned the government and the people.
A retaliatory strike by the police was expected and Egyptian Interior ministry has announced that the police raided a farmhouse about 400 km from Cairo, close to the Libya border and killed 13 militants.
No further details are available though it appears that the militants may be belonging to the Daesh Takfiri group in the area. This is reported by Globalsecurity.org.
Jaws of deaths
Egypt is in the jaws of death and after the removal of Mohammed Morsi the first elected president of Egypt the Islamic militants have upped the ante and launched concerted attacks against the security forces, mainly in the deserts of Sinai. Hundreds of security personnel have been killed and the writ of the Cairo government is Sinai is greatly weakened. However, it appears the Islamic militants and the recent attack on a police patrol just 130 km from the capital Cairo is cause for worry to General Sisi, the dictator of Egypt.
The fact that the militants could strike just about an hour and a half's drive from the capital shows that the Islamic militants are spreading their wings.
The counterattack on a farm and the subsequent killing of 13 militants will help in restoring police morale to some extent. Though the Interior ministry has taken credit for the attack it has not mentioned whether any of the militants killed were involved in the Giza attack.
Islamic terror
Egypt is beset by Islamic terror which has peaked after the ousting of Morsi in a military coup. The army justified the coup when it claimed Morsi was converting the state to a theocratic state with no place for minorities like Christians and Shias. Coptic Christians who number about 10% of the population have lived in Egypt for centuries.
They are the subject of attacks and killings by Islamic militants who are hell-bent on overthrowing the regime of General Sisi.
Future
Egypt under Sisi faces a grave challenge from Islamic terrorists who are thriving as many Sunni Egyptians sympathise with them. Though Sisi is a dictator, he is the best bet for Egypt and needs all the support from the US and Saudi Arabia.
