{"id":57988,"date":"2018-02-13T03:10:11","date_gmt":"2018-02-13T03:10:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/02\/13\/us-and-egypt-pledge-allegiance-in-isis-fight-raging-in-sinai\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T10:31:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T10:31:23","slug":"us-and-egypt-pledge-allegiance-in-isis-fight-raging-in-sinai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/02\/13\/us-and-egypt-pledge-allegiance-in-isis-fight-raging-in-sinai\/","title":{"rendered":"US and Egypt pledge allegiance in ISIS fight raging in Sinai"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

CAIRO \u2014 The United States and Egypt on Monday reaffirmed their commitment to battle Islamic militants<\/a> in the Middle East as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson held talks with Egyptian officials in Cairo at the start of his week-long trip to the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tillerson and his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry, cited productive discussions on regional security and the struggle against the Islamic State group<\/a>, whose Egyptian affiliate, based in the Sinai Peninsula<\/a>, has struck military and civilian targets across the Arab world\u2019s most populous country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At a joint news conference with Shoukry, Tillerson said Egypt was an important part of the anti-ISIS coalition and that Washington was \u201ccommitted to strengthening this partnership in the years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe agreed that we would continue our close cooperation on counterterrorism measures, including our joint commitment to the defeat of IS,\u201d Tillerson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe highly value this relationship and we thank the United States for what it presents to Egypt in terms of support, which benefits both countries,\u201d Shoukry said, adding that Cairo hoped to further boost cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, left, meets Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Feb. 12, 2018. The meeting with Sameh Shoukry comes as Egypt conducts another major military operation in the Sinai Peninsula, where Islamic State militants have been leading an insurgency for years, and remote areas of the mainland where extremist fighters have attacked security forces and civilians. (Khaled ElFiqi, Pool via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The visit comes as Egypt is undertaking a major military operation in volatile Sinai, where Islamic extremists have been leading an insurgency for years, and in remote areas of the mainland where militants have attacked security forces and civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attacks picked up after President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi overthrew his elected but divisive Islamist predecessor, Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, in 2013. And militants have become more brazen of late. In November they massacred 311 people at a north Sinai mosque, and in December they tried to kill the defense and interior ministers with a missile attack during an unannounced visit to the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

North Sinai has long been under emergency law, with a nighttime curfew in place in some hot spots, but alert levels have been heightened in recent days due to the new offensive, called Sinai 2018. Hospitals in North Sinai and in other neighboring provinces have cancelled leave for doctors in anticipation of casualties, while many local gas stations and shops were ordered shut.<\/p>\n\n\n\t