ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

The Egyptian Arrmy has continued its large anti-terror campaign in northern Sinai crushing ISIS terrorists. According to the government, 30 ISIS terroists were killed, 5 were captured and 12 technicals and 4 VIEBDs were destroyed. 30 IEDs planted alongside roads were also discovered and defused. In central Egypt, 2 terrorists were killed in a police special operation in Fayoum city. In the same city a terrorist attacked police patrol killing 1 solider and wounding three others. On Saturday, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi attended opening the Mohamed Naguib Military Base, located in the coastal Al Hamam area of Marsa Matruh Governorate. The site is one of the largest military bases in the Middle East located. The base is set up to protect and monitor the 1000km  long borders with Libya that terrorists use to conduct raids attacks against the army and to smuggle weapons.

FILE IMAGE On Saturday, both Russia and Syria reached a de-escalation agreement with groups of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in the Eastern Ghouta region near Damascus. According to opposition sources, the agreement was reached with the help of the Egyptian mediation. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the first humanitarian aid convoy was set to Eastern Ghouta along with the evacuation of the wounded persons as part of the agreement. The Russian Defense Ministry said: “Today’s agreement delineates the borders of the de-escalation zone in the eastern Ghouta, and identified the deployment of separation and observation forces in Ghouta and the authorities, as well as, identified the lines of humanitarian aid and civilian crossings.” The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that the agreement was the result of negotiations in the Egyptian capital of Cairo between the Syrian government and the moderate Syrian opposition. From his side, spokesman for Faylaq al-Rahman fac