North Sinai Governor Abdel Fattah Harhour has said that there is no Al-Qaeda base in the Sinai Peninsula, despite the increasing influence of jihadi groups in the region.
“We know there are Salafi jihadi elements,” Harhour admitted on Tuesday.
The governor denied accusations security services know where the kidnappers of the seven Egyptian soldiers, abducted near Arish last month, are hiding.
He said there is a comprehensive plan to return stability to Sinai. “We have fixed and moving checkpoints and patrols,” he explained.
Referring to the death of counter terror police captain Mohamed Abu Shaqra, shot down by suspected jihadi gunmen on Sunday, Harhour said it was impossible to combat insurgency overnight.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
