Prime Minister Sherif Ismail delivered a speech before the House of Representatives on Tuesday explaining that providing security for citizens and for development projects is behind the extension of the state of emergency in North Sinai which stretches back to October 2014.
“You know that announcing the state of emergency will not fully defeat terrorism, but it will thwart much of its operations and allows security agencies to take procedures that help them countering its [terrorism] elements,” Ismail said addressing the parliament.
The prime minister said that due to the continuation of terrorist operations in North Sinai, the presidential decree was issued to extend the state of emergency from 29 April until 28 July.
A police officer and a solider were reportedly injured on Tuesday morning when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated in El-Wadi region of Al-Arish city in the North Sinai governorate, sources in Al-Arish told Daily News Egypt.
The attack targeted a police checkpoint in downtown Al-Arish. The IED was detonated remotely and the two security personnel suffered from minor injuries. They were immediately transferred to Al-Arish Military Hospital.
Since the beginning of this week, IED attacks have being occurring on a daily basis. On Monday afternoon, a police officer and two soldiers were reportedly killed when a bomb detonated near their security vehicle south of Al-Arish, according to a North Sinai-based journalist who preferred to remain anonymous.
