Alwaght- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi said on Sunday the sacrifices of Egyptian security forces killed by terrorists "will not go in vain."
In a meeting with the defense and interior ministers as well as other security officials el-Sisi added that g that "war against terror has a different nature than organized warfare." He also commanded the armed forces and police for saving Egypt over the past years from meeting the same fate of countries plagued with terrorism.
He was speaking after at least 54 policemen, including 20 officers and 34 conscripts, were killed when a raid on a militant hideout southwest of Cairo was ambushed. Officials said on Saturday that the ensuing firefight was one of the deadliest for Egyptian security forces in recent years.
The last time Egypt’s security forces suffered such a heavy loss of life was in July 2015 when ISIS terrorists carried out a series of coordinated attacks, including suicide bombings, against army and police positions in the Sinai Peninsula, killing at least 50.
"These heroes have set an example in bravery and dedication to their homeland, and their sacrifices will not go in vain," El-Sisi said, according to the statement.
He also called on officials to exert all possible efforts to capture the terrorist elements involved in the shootout.
"Egypt will keep confronting terrorism as well as those who fund and stand behind it with everything in its power […] until it is exterminated," El-Sisi added.
