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Egypt to ask allies for more security support

October 27, 2014 at 12:36 pm

The Egyptian foreign ministry will contact ambassadors of different countries in Cairo to ask them for additional security support following the attacks in Sinai, a senior official said yesterday.

In a statement sent to Reuters, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said his ministry is planning to call for support from the international community in order to “carry out a strong and decisive” operation.

On Friday, 33 Egyptian soldiers were killed in two attacks in Sinai. The attacks are considered the worst since the military coup against the first ever freely elected Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi in August 2013.

As an immediate response to the attacks, the Egyptian government imposed a state of emergency in Sinai and a curfew in a number of cities in the area.

An official Egyptian news agency reported Shoukry as saying: “From Sunday, contacts with ambassadors are to be conducted in order to call for them to intensify efforts and supply information for Egypt that meets its security needs.”

He said that his ministry is to call for political and economic support. Meanwhile, he did not say which countries he would be asking for help.

The EU, US and UK have condemned the two attacks and pledged to support Egypt.