Tag Archives: Egypt

France Sells Egypt Two Warships Originally Meant for Russia

According to the French government, Egypt agreed to buy two Mistral-class helicopter carriers that was originally going to be sold to Russia.

The contract between Russia and France was signed in 2011, but was suspended when violent unrest broke out in eastern Ukraine last year. After the suspension of the contract, France refunded $1 billion to Russia. The original contract was to be the biggest arms sale in history between a NATO country and Russia.

These new vessels will add powerful capabilities in Egypt’s fight against Islamist threats across Egypt’s western border in Libya and along the Sinai Peninsula. The deal was closed Tuesday after talks between French President Francois Hollande and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. Egypt is expected to take possession of the ships in March of next year, officials said. In the meantime, Egypt will be sending 400 soldiers to France to learn how to man the new warships.

“France will assure delivery of these boats while losing nothing, and by doing so protecting Egypt,” Hollande said.

This isn’t the first arms deal between the two countries. Egypt has also bought 24 advanced Rafale fighter jets from France earlier this year.

Heat Wave Sets Records in Germany; More Deaths in Egypt

The death toll in the Middle East heat wave continues to climb.

Egyptian officials say that 76 people are now confirmed dead because of the extreme heat which reached 116 degrees in some parts of the country.  State media said that 21 people died from heatstroke on Tuesday.

Over 1,200 people are hospitalized with heat related illnesses.

The heat outside is also causing the heat to rise in the arena of socio-political problems within the Middle Eastern nation.

“It is highlighting the huge gap that exists between classes in the region in general and specifically in countries that are not as rich as the Gulf countries. So in Egypt, for example, it is dividing the classes further,” Ziad Akl, a senior researcher at the Cairo-based Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, told VOA.  He said that the rich remain inside with air conditioners while the poor have no choice but to use locations like public fountains.

In Iraq, the heat is causing people to short out electrical systems in attempts to keep cool.

“Last week most Iraqi areas were left without electricity for almost three days,” Suadad al-Salhy, a freelance journalist who covers Iraq for Middle East Eye said to VOA.

The heat wave is moving north from the Middle East into Europe causing electrical grid disruptions.

Poland’s national electric supplier cut power to factories for several hours Monday to try and keep the grid from total failure.  The heat combined with extended dry weather has reduced water levels to rivers that cool the nation’s power plants.

Wroclaw, Poland saw an all-time record high of 102 degrees.  The average high for that area is 72 degrees.

Germany tied its all time record high with a mark of 104.5 in Kitzingen.  It was the second time in a month the city had hit the 104.5 mark.

At least 19 cities in the Czech Republic have also tied or topped all-time heat records.

Middle East Heatwave Kills 42 in Egypt

A heatwave scorching Egypt has left 42 people dead.

Egyptian officials said 21 people died on Sunday and 19 more died on Monday.  They added most of the dead were elderly people although they confirmed one German national, patients at a psychiatric hospital and some prisoners also died from the heat.

Temperatures in parts of the northern half of the country reached 120 and in the lower part of the nation topped 115.   The capital city of Cairo hit 105.

The heatwave has also caused power outages.  The Cairo subway was shut down due to power loss and many neighborhoods are getting one hour of power a day.

The heat wave is also causing problems in other nations.

In Beirut, Lebanon, which is on the Mediterranean coast, temperatures are in the 90’s but with 50% or greater humidity the conditions are almost unbearable.

“We had electricity from 3am to 6am last night, and the power comes on one hour during the day,” said Hasan, who lives in Beirut’s southern suburbs, where power cuts have been especially dire during the heatwave. “Officials sit in their offices with electricity.”

On Friday, the heat and humidity in Bandar Mahshahr, Iran, combined to give a feeling of a temperature of 165.

“That was one of the most incredible temperature observations I have ever seen and it is one of the most extreme readings ever in the world,” said AccuWeather Meteorologist Anthony Sagliani in a statement.

ISIS Claims Rocket Attack That Struck Egyptian Military Ship

Islamic terrorist group ISIS says their affiliate in the Sinai Peninsula fired a guided rocket at an Egyptian Navy vessel near Rafah that burst into flame.

The military confirmed a frigate had been pursuing ISIS terrorists near Rafah and had “engaged in gunfire” with the extremists and the ship experienced a fire but said no one had been killed.

The terrorists, however, released a series of photos that appear to show a rocket flying toward an Egyptian frigate, causing a massive explosion and fire.  The terrorists claim everyone on board was killed.

The SITE Intelligence Group told the BBC the missile appeared to be an anti-tank missile.  Witnesses say that other Egyptian military craft rushed to the side of the stricken vessel.

The attack is believed to be the first time the terrorist group has launched a missile attack on a ship.  It raises concerns that they would attempt to disrupt shipping traffic through the Suez Canal.

ISIS has been particularly active in Egypt over the last four weeks.  The group claimed the assassination of the country’s top prosecutor, killing 21 soldiers in the town of Sheikh Zuwaid and Saturday’s bombing of the Italian Consulate in Cairo.

71 Egyptians Get Life Sentence For Burning Christian Church

Seventy-one Egyptians will be spending the rest of their lives in prison in connection with the torching of a Christian church in the Giza province town of Kafr Hakim.

The Virgin Mary Church had been looted by a Muslim mob and then burned to the ground while the crowd chanted for Egypt to become an Islamic state.  The church was one of 42 churches and Christian businesses that were targeted in August 2013 by the Islamists.

Two minors were given sentences of 10 years in prison and $1,300 in fines.

Most of the defendants were convicted in absentia.  Of the 73 convicted, 21 were already in prison on other charges and will now be sent to a prison for their life sentences.

The mob was believed at the time to be connected to the Muslim Brotherhood that backed the deposed President Mohammed Morsi.  Morsi was imprisoned for 20 years in connection with this leadership on acts of violence by the Brotherhood during his time in office.

Defense lawyers claim no evidence presented proved those convicted were seen in the area of the church.  They attacked the judge claiming he was overseeing an unfair trial.  The same judge had previously sentenced 183 Muslim Brotherhood members to death for their part in the killing of 13 police officers on the same day as the church attack.

Air Force Veteran Charged With Attempting To Join ISIS

A U.S. Air Force veteran is jailed on charges of attempting to join the Islamic terrorist group ISIS.

Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh is facing charges of attempting to provide material support to terrorists and providing resources to a terrorist organization.  He also was charged with obstruction of justice for destroying thumb drives containing evidence of his online interaction with the terrorist group.

Pugh had lost his job as an airplane mechanic, which was based in the middle east.  After the job loss, he traveled from Egypt to Turkey with the intent of sneaking into Syria.

“Pugh, an American citizen and former member of our military, allegedly abandoned his allegiance to the United States and sought to provide material support to ISI[S],” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Carlin said. “Identifying and bringing to justice individuals who provide or attempt to provide material support to terrorists is a key priority of the National Security Division.”

U.S. intelligence officials say that at least 150 Americans are fighting with the terrorist group in Iraq and Syria.

ISIS Burns To Death 45 Iraqis

ISIS has burned alive 45 Iraqi citizens for a variety of alleged crimes against the terrorist’s rules.

Al-Baghdadi Local Police Chief Qasim al-Obeidi told the BBC that some of those killed were members of the Iraqi Security Forces which has been the main force fighting to stop the spread of ISIS.

The massacre comes as the State Department’s main spokeswoman, Marie Harf, says that ISIS can’t be beaten by force.

“We’re killing a lot of them, and we’re going to keep killing more of them,” she stated. “So are the Egyptians, so are the Jordanians. They’re in this fight with us. But we cannot win this war by killing them. We cannot kill our way out of this war.”

“We can work with countries around the world to help improve their governance,” she said. “We can help them build their economies so they can have job opportunities for these people.”

The ISF is working to drive ISIS out of al-Baghdadi but has been unable to dislodge the terrorists.

Egypt Bombs ISIS In Libya

Egyptian planed bombed ISIS targets in Libya Monday in a direct response to the terrorist’s killing of 21 Coptic Christians shown in a video this weekend.

The planes struck militant camps, training sites and at least one weapons storage area.

The terrorists have taken advantage of the unstable government in Libya since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.  The strikes by the Egyptian military are the first direct actions in Libya’s territory by the new Egyptian government.

The military issued a call to terrorists to say that Libya is not a safe haven for anyone who would issue a terrorist attack.

“And let those near and far know that the Egyptians have a shield that protects and preserves the security of the country, and a sword that eradicates terrorism,” the Egyptian military said in a statement.

The current Libyan government also participated in the attacks on ISIS.

Pope Francis issued a condemnation of the killings, saying that the 21 were killed only because they were Christians.

Middle East observers say the action by Egypt are part of a campaign of leaders in the region to tell ISIS they will not be moved.

“It’s swift and decisive, it’s not about strategy, it’s about containing anger within Egypt,” said Hassan Hassan, co-author of a book on Islamic State.

“Just like in Jordan, it’s more about saving face, saying: ‘You can’t mess with us’. …. It’s likely to evolve into a sustained strategy of helping in the fight against ISIS (Islamic State) in neighboring countries.”

ISIS Video Shows Massacre Of 21 Christians

ISIS released a video on Sunday of terrorists loyal to ISIS beheading 21 Coptic Christians.

The Libyan terrorists marched the Christians down a beach, lined up them up and then beheaded each of them.

“Safety for you crusaders is something you can only wish for,” a knife-wielding militant says on camera.  “We will conquer Rome, by Allah’s permission.”

The terrorists identify themselves as the Tripoli Province of the Islamic State.  The terrorists have claimed to be holding the 21 Christians for weeks.

The Egyptian government declared a seven-day mourning period for the slain Christians.  President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi offered his condolences to “the victims of terrorism” according to a Presidential statement.

Egyptians have fled to surrounding nations to find work in the wake of the 2011 Islamist uprising in Egypt.

State Department Hosts Muslim Brotherhood

The State Department welcomed Muslim Brotherhood aligned leaders to discuss their ongoing effort to undermine the government of Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

The group has been seen taking provocative photos during their trip where they are flashing the Islamist group’s four finger hand signal and the posting those photos to social media sites.

The State Department is maintaining a dialogue with the group because of their continued involvement in the Egyptian political spectrum.

“The State Department continues to speak with Muslim Brothers on the assumption that Egyptian politics are unpredictable, and the Brotherhood still has some support in Egypt,” Eric Trager of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy told the Washington Free Beacon. “But when pro-Brotherhood delegations then post photos of themselves making pro-Brotherhood gestures in front of the State Department logo, it creates an embarrassment for the State Department.”

Terrorism expert Patrick Poole said the meeting is an insult to our Egyptian allies.

“What this shows is that the widespread rejection of the Muslim Brotherhood across the Middle East, particularly the largest protests in recorded human history in Egypt on June 30, 2013, that led to Morsi’s ouster, is not recognized by the State Department and the Obama administration,” Poole said.

“This is a direct insult to our Egyptian allies, who are in an existential struggle against the Muslim Brotherhood, all in the pursuit of the mythical ‘moderate Islamists’ who the D.C. foreign policy elite still believe will bring democracy to the Middle East.”