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what ?Blast inside Cairo's Coptic cathedral kills at least 20, injures 35
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Hindustani78
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Egyptian intelligence agencies are having good relations with Indian intelligence agencies.
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http://zeenews.india.com/world/egyp...ency-after-twin-bombings-by-isis-1994810.html
Cairo: Egypt on Monday imposed a three-month state of emergency and ordered the military to protect vital infrastructure after the Islamic State terror group targeted two minority Coptic Christian churches in powerful bombings, killing at least 45 people and wounding more than 100 others.
As Egyptians bid tearful farewell to the those who died in the terror attacks on Palm Sunday, the Egyptian government declared that the state of emergency across the country will be effective from today.
Egypt's Cabinet approved the measure - which allows authorities to make arrests without warrants and search people's homes - and explained the reasons for the imposition of emergency.
The Cabinet said in a statement that the state of emergency "allows both the armed forces and the police to execute those procedures necessary to combat the threats of terrorism and its financing, maintain security around the country and protect public and private property, as well as preserving the lives of citizens," Egyptian media reported.
The Cabinet's approval came after President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi in a brief television appearance last night announced the state of emergency for three months.
Sisi said a top-level council for fighting terrorism and extremism will also be set up. Before making the announcement, he had called a National Defence Council meet.
Following the bombings at churches in Tanta and Alexandria cities, the government in its initial response ordered the military special forces to assist police in securing important state facilities across the country. The security forces have been put on alert in anticipation of more attacks, the media reported.
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attacks in which the number of people killed has reached 45 after a person injured in the bombing at Tanta died.
More than 100 people remained injured, according to Egyptian authorities.
The first blast took place in the Coptic church of Mar Girgis, also known as St George, in the Nile delta city of Tanta, about 120 kilometres from Cairo, and killed 27 people and injured 78, according to the Egyptian Health Ministry.
Hours later, a suicide bomber struck the Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria's Manshyia district.
Citing Health Minister Ahmed Emad, ON TV news channel reported at least 18 people, including police personnel, were killed and 41 injured in the suicide attack in Alexandria.
The blasts have come ahead of the visit of Pope Francis to Egypt on April 28-29, and prompted international condemnation.
Al-Azhar, the world's highest seat of Sunni Islam, called the attacks an "outrageous crime" against all Egyptians. "This terrorist attack is devoid of all the principles of humanity and civilisation," it said in a statement.
The US Embassy in Egypt condemned "the heinous, reprehensible terrorist attack against peaceful worshippers."
"The US stands firmly with the Egyptian government and people to defeat terrorism," the Embassy said in a statement.
Coptic Christians make up about 10 per cent of Egypt's population of 85 million.
Egypt's Christian minority has often been targeted by Islamist militants. In December, a suicide bombing claimed by an IS affiliate killed 29 people during Sunday mass in Cairo.
Egypt has seen a wave of attacks by militants since 2013 when the military toppled president Mohammed Morsi, an elected leader who hailed from the Muslim Brotherhood, and launched a crackdown against Islamists.
Palm Sunday falls on the Sunday before the Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels.
First Published: Monday, April 10, 2017 - 17:08
Peace treaty like always USA Adm is aware.
Cairo: Egypt on Monday imposed a three-month state of emergency and ordered the military to protect vital infrastructure after the Islamic State terror group targeted two minority Coptic Christian churches in powerful bombings, killing at least 45 people and wounding more than 100 others.
As Egyptians bid tearful farewell to the those who died in the terror attacks on Palm Sunday, the Egyptian government declared that the state of emergency across the country will be effective from today.
Egypt's Cabinet approved the measure - which allows authorities to make arrests without warrants and search people's homes - and explained the reasons for the imposition of emergency.
The Cabinet said in a statement that the state of emergency "allows both the armed forces and the police to execute those procedures necessary to combat the threats of terrorism and its financing, maintain security around the country and protect public and private property, as well as preserving the lives of citizens," Egyptian media reported.
The Cabinet's approval came after President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi in a brief television appearance last night announced the state of emergency for three months.
Sisi said a top-level council for fighting terrorism and extremism will also be set up. Before making the announcement, he had called a National Defence Council meet.
Following the bombings at churches in Tanta and Alexandria cities, the government in its initial response ordered the military special forces to assist police in securing important state facilities across the country. The security forces have been put on alert in anticipation of more attacks, the media reported.
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attacks in which the number of people killed has reached 45 after a person injured in the bombing at Tanta died.
More than 100 people remained injured, according to Egyptian authorities.
The first blast took place in the Coptic church of Mar Girgis, also known as St George, in the Nile delta city of Tanta, about 120 kilometres from Cairo, and killed 27 people and injured 78, according to the Egyptian Health Ministry.
Hours later, a suicide bomber struck the Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria's Manshyia district.
Citing Health Minister Ahmed Emad, ON TV news channel reported at least 18 people, including police personnel, were killed and 41 injured in the suicide attack in Alexandria.
The blasts have come ahead of the visit of Pope Francis to Egypt on April 28-29, and prompted international condemnation.
Al-Azhar, the world's highest seat of Sunni Islam, called the attacks an "outrageous crime" against all Egyptians. "This terrorist attack is devoid of all the principles of humanity and civilisation," it said in a statement.
The US Embassy in Egypt condemned "the heinous, reprehensible terrorist attack against peaceful worshippers."
"The US stands firmly with the Egyptian government and people to defeat terrorism," the Embassy said in a statement.
Coptic Christians make up about 10 per cent of Egypt's population of 85 million.
Egypt's Christian minority has often been targeted by Islamist militants. In December, a suicide bombing claimed by an IS affiliate killed 29 people during Sunday mass in Cairo.
Egypt has seen a wave of attacks by militants since 2013 when the military toppled president Mohammed Morsi, an elected leader who hailed from the Muslim Brotherhood, and launched a crackdown against Islamists.
Palm Sunday falls on the Sunday before the Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels.
First Published: Monday, April 10, 2017 - 17:08
Peace treaty like always USA Adm is aware.
Hindustani78
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Egyptians walk past blood stains in a street near a church in Alexandria after a bomb blast struck worshippers on Sunday. | Photo Credit: AFP
http://www.thehindu.com/news/intern...lm-sunday-blasts-in-egypt/article17897158.ece
The attacks followed a Cairo church bombing in December and came weeks before a planned visit by Pope Francis.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for bombing two Egyptian churches as worshippers gathered to mark Palm Sunday, killing at least 43 people in the deadliest attacks on the Coptic Christian minority in recent memory.
The attacks followed a Cairo church bombing in December and came weeks before a planned visit by Catholic Pope Francis intended to show support for Egypt’s Christian minority.
The first bombing struck the Mar Girgis church in the city of Tanta north of Cairo, killing 27 people, the Health Ministry said.
“I just felt fire grabbing my face. I pushed my brother who was sitting next to me and then I heard people saying: ‘explosion’,” a wounded witness in hospital told state television.
Emergency services had scrambled to the scene when another blast rocked Saint Mark’s church in Alexandria where Coptic Pope Tawadros II had been leading a Palm Sunday service.
Sixteen people including three police officers were killed in that attack, which the Interior Ministry said was caused by a suicide bomber who blew himself up when police prevented him from entering the church.
The Ministry said the Coptic Pope was unharmed, and a church official said he had left before the bombing.
The private CBC Extra channel aired footage of the Alexandria blast, with CCTV showing what appeared to be the entrance of the church engulfed in a ball of flame and flying concrete moments after a security guard turned away a man.
At least 78 people were wounded in Tanta and 40 in Alexandria, the Health Ministry said.
Officials denounced the violence as an attempt to sow divisions in Egypt, and Pope Francis sent his “deep condolences” to Pope Tawadros.
Islamic State claimed its “squads” carried out both attacks, in a statement by its self-styled Amaq news agency published on social media.
There were bloodstains on the floor of the church in Tanta, next to shredded wooden benches.
State television reported that the Interior Minister sacked the provincial head of security and replaced him after the attack.
On March 29, 2017, the Mar Girgis church’s Facebook page said a “suspicious” device had been found outside the building that security services removed.
A relative of one of the victims reacts after a church explosion in Tanta, Egypt on Sunday.
“I heard the blast and came running. I found people torn up... some people, only half of their bodies remained,” said Nabil Nader, who lives in front of the Tanta church.
Worshippers had been celebrating Palm Sunday, one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar, marking Jesus’ triumphant entrance to Jerusalem.
Hindustani78
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Vice President's Secretariat
10-April, 2017 20:29 IST
Vice President condemns attacks in Egypt
The Vice President of India, Shri M. Hamid Ansari has condemned the attacks in Egypt. In a message, he said that there can be no justification for barbaric and reprehensible act on innocent civilians and the perpetrators need to be brought to justice by concerted international action.
Following is the text of Vice President’s message:
“I am shocked by the attacks against defenseless and innocent civilians in Egypt.
There can be no justification for such barbaric and reprehensible act. The perpetrators need to be brought to justice by concerted international action.
We stand with the people and Government of Egypt in their moment of grief and pray for the bereaved families and early recovery of the injured.”
*****
10-April, 2017 20:29 IST
Vice President condemns attacks in Egypt
The Vice President of India, Shri M. Hamid Ansari has condemned the attacks in Egypt. In a message, he said that there can be no justification for barbaric and reprehensible act on innocent civilians and the perpetrators need to be brought to justice by concerted international action.
Following is the text of Vice President’s message:
“I am shocked by the attacks against defenseless and innocent civilians in Egypt.
There can be no justification for such barbaric and reprehensible act. The perpetrators need to be brought to justice by concerted international action.
We stand with the people and Government of Egypt in their moment of grief and pray for the bereaved families and early recovery of the injured.”
*****
Hindustani78
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Brig. Gen. Nagwa Al-Haggar
Omneya Roshdy
Asmaa Hussein
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1082276/world#photo/2
JEDDAH: Three women Egyptian police officers died in Sunday’s bombings of two Coptic Churches, the first females to die in the line of duty from the Egyptian police force.
Egyptian Interior Ministry said that Brig. Gen. Nagwa Al-Haggar, 53, died heroically when she rushed to the aid of her male colleagues to prevent a suicide bomber from entering Church of St. Mark’s in Alexandria. The attacker donated his bomb, killing Al-Haggar and Major Emad Al-Rakaybi.
The two other female police sergeants, Asmaa Hussein and Omneya Roshdy, were among a total of seven police officers killed on Monday.
Sgt. Asmaa Mohamed, a colleague of Hussein and Roshdy, told CBC channel that one her colleagues was planning to get married in a month, while the other left two daughters behind. “But, despite everything, we continue to be on duty— whether me or my colleagues,” Mohamed said.
Details on how the other two female officers died were not immediately available.
A security source said that Al-Haggar “is considered the first woman to be killed during duty in the female police force in the history of the Interior Ministry,” Egyptian media reported.
Due to the nature of Al-Haggar’s work, she never expected to become a victim of a terror attack.
For several years, she worked peacefully with almost no great risks in the Work Permits Department at the Security Directorate of Alexandria. She was then summoned to secure the Church of St. Mark in Alexandria on Sunday.
Al-Haggar was assigned to be in charge of inspecting people entering the church and to maintain the security of worshipers arriving for Palm Sunday services.
Al-Haggar was conducting her inspections when she observed Major Al-Rakaybi and other police officers struggling with a man who was attempted to break into the church. Al-Haggar ran to Al-Rakaybi to assist him when the terrorist detonated his bomb, killing all Al-Haggar, Al-Rakaybi and other officers.
Al-Haggar’s picture along with Al-Rakaybi were posted on the official Facebook page of the Egyptian Ministry of Interior with a caption: “When the terrorist was exposed by the security forces, he blew himself up with members of the designated security service outside the church, resulting in the martyrdom of a number of police officers from the Security Directorate of Alexandria.”
Other male police officers killed in the attack were Essam Adeeb, Mohamed Ibrahim and Mohamed Hassan.
Al-Haggar was close to the fight and did not back down despite the danger that began to emerge in the place, according to Egyptian media.
Al-Haggar comes from a family of police officers — married to a major general and a mother of a captain. She graduated from the Police Academy in 1987.
Last year, Al-Haggar lost a son, Mahab Ezz, who was a student in the Police Academy. Mahab died of a heart attack.
Al-Haggar martyred shortly after marrying off her eldest son, Mahmoud Ezz, which aroused the sympathy of many Egyptians on social media.
Daesh has reportedly claimed responsibility for the twin attack.
Muslim extremists have increasingly targeted Egypt’s Coptic Christians, who are the largest ethno-religious minority in Egypt and consists roughly 10 percent of the country’s population.
Earlier this year, Daesh released a video footage vowing to liberate Cairo and bring explosives. “To my brothers in captivity: rejoice, you believers, do not falter or grieve,” the jihadist said in the video. “I swear to God we will very soon liberate Cairo and free you from captivity. We will come bearing explosives. I swear we will, so rejoice you believers.”
Omneya Roshdy
Asmaa Hussein
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1082276/world#photo/2
JEDDAH: Three women Egyptian police officers died in Sunday’s bombings of two Coptic Churches, the first females to die in the line of duty from the Egyptian police force.
Egyptian Interior Ministry said that Brig. Gen. Nagwa Al-Haggar, 53, died heroically when she rushed to the aid of her male colleagues to prevent a suicide bomber from entering Church of St. Mark’s in Alexandria. The attacker donated his bomb, killing Al-Haggar and Major Emad Al-Rakaybi.
The two other female police sergeants, Asmaa Hussein and Omneya Roshdy, were among a total of seven police officers killed on Monday.
Sgt. Asmaa Mohamed, a colleague of Hussein and Roshdy, told CBC channel that one her colleagues was planning to get married in a month, while the other left two daughters behind. “But, despite everything, we continue to be on duty— whether me or my colleagues,” Mohamed said.
Details on how the other two female officers died were not immediately available.
A security source said that Al-Haggar “is considered the first woman to be killed during duty in the female police force in the history of the Interior Ministry,” Egyptian media reported.
Due to the nature of Al-Haggar’s work, she never expected to become a victim of a terror attack.
For several years, she worked peacefully with almost no great risks in the Work Permits Department at the Security Directorate of Alexandria. She was then summoned to secure the Church of St. Mark in Alexandria on Sunday.
Al-Haggar was assigned to be in charge of inspecting people entering the church and to maintain the security of worshipers arriving for Palm Sunday services.
Al-Haggar was conducting her inspections when she observed Major Al-Rakaybi and other police officers struggling with a man who was attempted to break into the church. Al-Haggar ran to Al-Rakaybi to assist him when the terrorist detonated his bomb, killing all Al-Haggar, Al-Rakaybi and other officers.
Al-Haggar’s picture along with Al-Rakaybi were posted on the official Facebook page of the Egyptian Ministry of Interior with a caption: “When the terrorist was exposed by the security forces, he blew himself up with members of the designated security service outside the church, resulting in the martyrdom of a number of police officers from the Security Directorate of Alexandria.”
Other male police officers killed in the attack were Essam Adeeb, Mohamed Ibrahim and Mohamed Hassan.
Al-Haggar was close to the fight and did not back down despite the danger that began to emerge in the place, according to Egyptian media.
Al-Haggar comes from a family of police officers — married to a major general and a mother of a captain. She graduated from the Police Academy in 1987.
Last year, Al-Haggar lost a son, Mahab Ezz, who was a student in the Police Academy. Mahab died of a heart attack.
Al-Haggar martyred shortly after marrying off her eldest son, Mahmoud Ezz, which aroused the sympathy of many Egyptians on social media.
Daesh has reportedly claimed responsibility for the twin attack.
Muslim extremists have increasingly targeted Egypt’s Coptic Christians, who are the largest ethno-religious minority in Egypt and consists roughly 10 percent of the country’s population.
Earlier this year, Daesh released a video footage vowing to liberate Cairo and bring explosives. “To my brothers in captivity: rejoice, you believers, do not falter or grieve,” the jihadist said in the video. “I swear to God we will very soon liberate Cairo and free you from captivity. We will come bearing explosives. I swear we will, so rejoice you believers.”
Hindustani78
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http://www.arabnews.com/node/1142761/middle-east
CAIRO: Egypt’s Interior Ministry said on Thursday its forces had killed three terrorists suspected of involvement in deadly attacks against the country’s Coptic Christian minority.
An officer also died in a shootout in the southern province of Qena on Tuesday, security officials said.
Egypt is battling a local affiliate of Daesh, which has claimed attacks that have killed more than 100 Copts since December.
The shootout occurred after a suspected terrorist, who had previously been detained, guided police to an alleged hideout in Qena, the ministry said in a statement.
“As soon as the security forces reached the location, the terrorist elements suddenly opened fire using all types of weapons, which forced them to retaliate,” it said.
The shootout led to the killing of the detained suspect, a policeman who was guarding him, and two other suspected terrorists, the ministry said.
At the hideout, police found weapons and “gold jewelry which was probably stolen from some of the Christian victims” of a previous attack.
On May 26, masked gunmen killed 29 Copts as they traveled in a bus to Saint Samuel monastery in Minya province south of the Egyptian capital.
The bus attack followed two suicide bombings of churches in April that killed 45 Copts. In December, a suicide bomber struck a church in Cairo, killing 29 Copts.
Copts make up about 10 percent of Egypt’s 90-million population.
Egypt’s Daesh affiliate is based in North Sinai province, where hundreds of soldiers and policemen have been killed in attacks since 2013.
Hindustani78
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Three policemen were injured after one suspected militant detonated an explosive device to block their entry into the building.(AFP File Photo)
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world...ts-in-cairo/story-Eou7NY8RJHmcDzySFy04UM.html
Egypt’s security forces killed 10 suspected militants on Sunday in a shootout during a raid on two apartments in central Cairo, two security sources said.
Three policemen were injured after one suspected militant detonated an explosive device to block their entry into the building and two other policemen were injured during the exchange of fire that followed.
One source said authorities received a tip off about the hideouts of the individuals, who they suspect of being members of Hasm, a group which has claimed several attacks around the Egyptian capital targeting judges and policemen since last year.
Egypt accuses Hasm of being a militant wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group it outlawed in 2013. The Muslim Brotherhood denies this.
An Islamist insurgency in the rugged Sinai peninsula strengthened after the Egyptian military overthrew President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in mid-2013 following mass protests against his rule.
The militant group staging the insurgency pledged allegiance to Islamic State in 2014. It is blamed for the killing of hundreds of soldiers and policemen, and has started to target other areas, including Egypt’s Christian Copts.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1158741/middle-east
CAIRO: Egypt’s security forces killed 10 suspected militants on Sunday in a shootout during a raid on two apartments in central Cairo, two security sources said.
Three policemen were injured after one suspected militant detonated an explosive device to block their entry into the building and two other policemen were injured during the exchange of fire that followed.
One source said authorities received a tip off about the hideouts of the individuals, who they suspect of being members of Hasm, a group which has claimed several attacks around the Egyptian capital targeting judges and policemen since last year.
Egypt accuses Hasm of being a militant wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group it outlawed in 2013. The Muslim Brotherhood denies this.
An Islamist insurgency in the rugged Sinai peninsula strengthened after the Egyptian military overthrew President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in mid-2013 following mass protests against his rule.
The militant group staging the insurgency pledged allegiance to Islamic State in 2014. It is blamed for the killing of hundreds of soldiers and policemen, and has started to target other areas, including Egypt’s Christian Copts.
Hindustani78
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CAIRO:, November 03, 2018 09:28 IST
Updated: November 03, 2018 09:28 IST
Six of the dead from same family, children wounded; Islamic State claims responsibility
Gunmen killed at least seven who were returning from baptising a child at a Coptic monastery on Friday, officials said - the most serious attack on the minority in more than a year.
Six of the dead were from the same family, and another 18 people, including children, were wounded, the Coptic Church's spokesman said in a statement.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the ambush in Minya province in central Egypt, the militant group's Amaq news agency said, without providing evidence of its involvement.
“The jihadists targeted them with light weapons and killed 13 people and injured 18,” the group said in a statement released much later in the evening.
“This operation comes as revenge for our chaste sisters that were arrested by the apostate Egyptian regime, and we promise more attacks to all who aid it.”
Egyptian security forces on Wednesday night detained six women, including the daughter of former presidential candidate and senior Muslim Brotherhood leader Khairat al-Shater.
The Muslim Brotherhood has denied any links to Islamic State.
The attackers opened fire mid-afternoon on two buses near the Monastery of St Samuel the Confessor in Minya, 260 km (160 miles) up the River Nile from Cairo, the church spokesman said.
Footage posted on social media showed bodies inside a bus with apparent gunshot wounds. Reuters was not able to verify the authenticity of the pictures.
The attackers then fled, a witness at the monastery said.
Local resident Hilal told Reuters he rushed to the scene after hearing about the attack and saw the militants on the road.
“Some of us came to try and block the road. There were three four-wheel drive vehicles and the militants opened fire ... The militants wore white robes and chequered head-dresses,” he told Reuters.
“Dark terrorism”
Islamic State and affiliated groups have claimed responsibility for a series of attacks including one that killed 28 people in almost the same spot in May 2017 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...him-says-son-who-saw-father-die-idUSKBN19B176.
Egypt's army and police launched a crackdown on the militant groups in February, targeting the Sinai Peninsula as well as southern areas and the border with Libya.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he mourned the victims as martyrs and vowed to push ahead with the campaign.
“I assert our determination to fight dark terrorism and to pursue the perpetrators,” he said on Twitter.
Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Kuwait all condemned the attack.
The European Union said it was a “stark reminder of the security challenges that Egypt is facing”.
Egypt says fighting militants is a priority to restore stability after the years of turmoil that followed the ”Arab Spring” protests in 2011.
The public prosecutor said a team of investigators has been despatched to the scene of the attack.
The beginnings of the monastery date back to the end of the 3rd century or the beginning of the 4th century until the time of the Christian persecution under Emperor Diocletian. As from a Coptic manuscript to the martyrdom of St. Psote , at that time hermits were already living in the caves along the valley of Qalamūn.
291–293 in disputes in Upper Egypt, where Emperor Diocletian suppressed a regional uprising, Emperor Diocletian return to Syria in 295 to fight the revanchist Persian empire. Emperor Diocletian's attempts to bring the Egyptian tax system in line with Imperial standards stirred discontent, and a revolt swept the region after Galerius' departure.Much of Egypt, including Alexandria, recognized his rule.
Emperor Diocletian moved into Egypt to suppress him, first putting down rebels in the Thebaid in the autumn of 297, then moving on to besiege Alexandria. Domitianus died in December 297 by which time Diocletian had secured control of the Egyptian countryside. Alexandria, however, whose defense was organized under Domitianus' former corrector Aurelius Achilleus, was to hold out until a later date, probably March 298.
Updated: November 03, 2018 09:28 IST
Six of the dead from same family, children wounded; Islamic State claims responsibility
Gunmen killed at least seven who were returning from baptising a child at a Coptic monastery on Friday, officials said - the most serious attack on the minority in more than a year.
Six of the dead were from the same family, and another 18 people, including children, were wounded, the Coptic Church's spokesman said in a statement.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the ambush in Minya province in central Egypt, the militant group's Amaq news agency said, without providing evidence of its involvement.
“The jihadists targeted them with light weapons and killed 13 people and injured 18,” the group said in a statement released much later in the evening.
“This operation comes as revenge for our chaste sisters that were arrested by the apostate Egyptian regime, and we promise more attacks to all who aid it.”
Egyptian security forces on Wednesday night detained six women, including the daughter of former presidential candidate and senior Muslim Brotherhood leader Khairat al-Shater.
The Muslim Brotherhood has denied any links to Islamic State.
The attackers opened fire mid-afternoon on two buses near the Monastery of St Samuel the Confessor in Minya, 260 km (160 miles) up the River Nile from Cairo, the church spokesman said.
Footage posted on social media showed bodies inside a bus with apparent gunshot wounds. Reuters was not able to verify the authenticity of the pictures.
The attackers then fled, a witness at the monastery said.
Local resident Hilal told Reuters he rushed to the scene after hearing about the attack and saw the militants on the road.
“Some of us came to try and block the road. There were three four-wheel drive vehicles and the militants opened fire ... The militants wore white robes and chequered head-dresses,” he told Reuters.
“Dark terrorism”
Islamic State and affiliated groups have claimed responsibility for a series of attacks including one that killed 28 people in almost the same spot in May 2017 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...him-says-son-who-saw-father-die-idUSKBN19B176.
Egypt's army and police launched a crackdown on the militant groups in February, targeting the Sinai Peninsula as well as southern areas and the border with Libya.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he mourned the victims as martyrs and vowed to push ahead with the campaign.
“I assert our determination to fight dark terrorism and to pursue the perpetrators,” he said on Twitter.
Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Kuwait all condemned the attack.
The European Union said it was a “stark reminder of the security challenges that Egypt is facing”.
Egypt says fighting militants is a priority to restore stability after the years of turmoil that followed the ”Arab Spring” protests in 2011.
The public prosecutor said a team of investigators has been despatched to the scene of the attack.
The beginnings of the monastery date back to the end of the 3rd century or the beginning of the 4th century until the time of the Christian persecution under Emperor Diocletian. As from a Coptic manuscript to the martyrdom of St. Psote , at that time hermits were already living in the caves along the valley of Qalamūn.
291–293 in disputes in Upper Egypt, where Emperor Diocletian suppressed a regional uprising, Emperor Diocletian return to Syria in 295 to fight the revanchist Persian empire. Emperor Diocletian's attempts to bring the Egyptian tax system in line with Imperial standards stirred discontent, and a revolt swept the region after Galerius' departure.Much of Egypt, including Alexandria, recognized his rule.
Emperor Diocletian moved into Egypt to suppress him, first putting down rebels in the Thebaid in the autumn of 297, then moving on to besiege Alexandria. Domitianus died in December 297 by which time Diocletian had secured control of the Egyptian countryside. Alexandria, however, whose defense was organized under Domitianus' former corrector Aurelius Achilleus, was to hold out until a later date, probably March 298.
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