A day after an attack on a water pumping facility east of the Suez Canal, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi directed law enforcement to complete the cleansing of areas in Sinai of terrorist elements during a meeting of the Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces.

El-Sisi stressed the need to continue implementing all security measures that contribute to eliminating terrorism in all its forms.

The meeting reviewed the incident, which killed 11 security personnel including an officer, and injured five others. El-Sisi expressed his condolences for those killed and injured, and praised the efforts made by the Egyptian Armed Forces in combatting terrorism and its sources in the Sinai Peninsula.
He also commended the efforts of the security services in completing giant national projects in cooperation with other state institutions, noting the country’s appreciation for the sacrifices made by the men of the armed forces and police to preserve its security.

Col. Arkan Harb Gharib Abdel Hafez, military spokesman for the Egyptian Armed Forces, confirmed in a statement that a group of militants, who he referred to as “takfiri,” attacked the water pumping station in western Sinai on May 7, engaging Egyptian troops stationed on the ground, killing 11.

Condemnations of the attack poured in from various Arab countries, with many of Egypt’s regional neighbors expressing solidarity with Cairo in its battle against terrorism.