Egypt, Britain discuss military cooperation, fight against terrorism

Egypt and Britain have held the tenth round of military-to-military staff talks in Cairo.

The talks cover deepening military cooperation between the two countries and the challenges facing stability in the Middle East and North Africa including the fight against Daesh.

“The UK stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Egypt in the fight against extremism and terrorism; we will not leave this fight to Egypt alone. Our two countries are on the frontline and we will not rest until the scourge of Daesh is defeated – whether in Syria and Iraq or North Sinai,” British Ambassador to Egypt John Casson said in a statement.

Remarking on the situation in Libya, Casson said: “Now that we have a political agreement in Libya, I look forward to the UK and Egypt working together in support of a new Libyan government that can lead the fight in defeating Daesh and restoring stability to the country.”

“The UK and Egypt are both partners in the global coalition against Daesh. As part of the global coalition, the UK has carried out more than 1,800 combat missions over Iraq and Syria,” Casson said, adding that beyond military action, the UK is working with partners to cut off Daesh’s access to finance, reduce the movement of extremists and defeat the group’s poisonous narrative.

The UK has also allocated £79.5 million to help thousands of vulnerable displaced families across Iraq, in addition to the £1.1 billion spent since 2012 in supporting Syrians affected by the war between the Assad regime, extremist groups, and the moderate opposition.

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