Cairo-based Arab League (AL) General Secretariat held Thursday an urgent meeting on Wednesday North Sinai attacks, calling for the acceleration of establishing a unified Arab Armed Forces to confront “terrorism” facing the region.
The meeting was held upon a request from Egypt following the series of militant attacks on at least 15 military checkpoints, killing 17 military personnel Wednesday in North Sinai. Egypt’s military spokesperson Mohamed Samir said more than 100 militants have been killed.
“Egypt will not stand idly by in the face of terrorism, and retribution will be the punishment for those who attack Egypt,” said the Egyptian ambassador to the AL Tareq Adel. The AL members condemned of the attacks and offered condolences for the victims’ families.
In March, the leaders of the Arab Summit, held in Sharm el-Sheikh, agreed on forming a unified Arab military to combat escalating militancy in the region.
In February, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi proposed Arab military forces, following the mass execution of 20 Egyptians by the Islamic State branch in Libya.
On Monday, Egypt’s Attorney-General Hisham Barakat was assassinated when a car bomb exploded near his convoy. On Tuesday, a car bomb exploded near a police station in 6th of October City in Giza, killing three people on board.
Militant attacks have also targeted Tunisia and Kuwait in the past few days, killing dozens from different countries.
