generalspeaking

Routing Egyptian Islamists

Sporadic violence continues to roil Egypt in the wake of the removal of Mohammad Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood from government. The Brotherhood continues to incite its members after Friday prayers to appear in the streets, to protest. Those protests have grown progressively smaller in numbers attending as time goes on. But they represent ordinary Egyptians who subscribe to the Brotherhood ideology. Those more violently inclined are making their presence known ... violently.

From Cairo suburbs to isolated villages to the Sinai peninsula, disaffected fundamentalist Egyptians loyal to Morsi and the Brotherhood continue to confront Egyptian authority. Police stations are attacked, those within killed, and areas are established under the control of Brotherhood supporters. Armed fighting vehicles and helicopters stormed a tourist town near the Great Pyramids, an Islamist stronghold, on Thursday.

Kerdasa was the target in the early morning of Egyptian security forces. They had just heard an instructional attack talk by General Nabil Farrag, when they were hit by fire from rooftop gunmen. The military meant to retake Kerdasa from the Islamists who had secured it a month ago. Kerdasa is a densely populated town of strategic importance, a short drive from Cairo's centre, about 5 km from the Giza Pyramids, Egypt's tourism treasure.

In mid-August a mob of Islamists had attacked the local police station in Kerdasa killing five policemen. They set about mutilating the dead bodies. Some were dragged by cars, at least one of the dead security members had been scalped, and acid had been poured over another. A large force of army troops and police surrounded the town on Thursday blocking entrances with armed vehicles, and security moved into the tow.

"There will be no retreat until it is cleansed of all terrorist and criminal hideouts", stated General Hani Abdel Latif. Police planned to lay siege to the town with the assistance of the army. Special forces would then be deployed to round up armed men.  A day later a public funeral was held in eastern Cairo. The funeral was for Giza deputy security chief Nabil Farrag. Who had been fatally shot as his men entered the town. Nine other police officers were injured when the town was stormed.

PHOTO: (AP Photo/Ahmed Abdel Fattah) Egyptian security forces help the lifeless body of Giza Police Chief Gen. Nabil Farag, center, who was killed after unidentified militants opened fire on security forces deployed early morning to the town of Kerdasa to drive off suspected Islamists taking control of the town near Giza Pyramids, Egypt, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013. Egyptian security forces backed by armored vehicles and military helicopters on Thursday laid a siege on an Islamists’ stronghold near Giza Pyramids and exchanged fire with what official news agency identified as “terrorist and criminal elements.”

The funeral was held in Nasr City, attended by army chief General Abdel-Fattah El Sisi and Prime Minister Hazem El-Beblawi, among other top government and army figures, while military helicopters flew overhead.The crowd, paying their respects to the late general, shouted anti-terrorism and pro-government slogans throughout the funeral march.



On entry to Kerdasa, when the barrage of fire hit, soldiers and police ducked behind armoured vehicles and walls. General Farrag fell, a bullet wound in his right side, somehow penetrating beyond the body armour he was equipped with. He lay there for fifteen minutes as blood soaked through his white uniform. Finally his men were able to reach him to take him to a sedan to drive him to a hospital. Where he died.

The Kerdasa raid was the second such event by security forces in recent days. On Monday, security forces wrested control back from another Islamist base in Delga village in the southern governerate of Minya. It had been held by fundamentalist Islamists who had torched churches in the old mountain town, and terrorized the Christians living there for almost a month.

Labels: Conflict, Egypt, Islamism, Muslim Brotherhood

posted by Pieface @ Saturday, September 21, 2013