(Photo Ministry of Foreign Affairs Handout)
The United States “strongly” condemned Thursday’s “terrorist attacks” that left at least 17 soldiers dead and a dozen more injured in North Sinai, the Washington DC Acting Department spokesperson said in a statement.
“The United States remains steadfast in its support of Egypt’s efforts to combat terrorism in the Sinai and throughout the country, and we will continue to work closely together to address shared threats to regional security,” the Washington statement read.
On Thursday morning, militants and military personnel clashed near Al-Arish in North Sinai. At least 17 security personnel were killed while 15 militants were killed, according to an Egyptian military spokesperson.
For the past year, insurgencies in North Sinai have been ongoing while on 29 January at least 30 soldiers were killed in a series of militant attacks.
The statement added that the US expresses “sincere condolences” to the victims, their families and the government and people of Egypt.
US and Egyptian officials have met and discussed how to “combat terrorism” often over the past year