“This operation will not just end in one day, I believe it will take time and effort, not because of the militia response, but I believe that the army will not end the operation until completing all its goals.”Shahawy said that the army have developed a plan in which all the sources of support to terrorist groups will be closed. According to him the army’s operation is “very well planned.”The participation of Egyptian Navy forces in the operation is one of the main reasons for its success. “Their presence stopped the militia from receiving any logistic support to help them in the battle,” Shahawy affirmed.Major General Nabiel Fuad Told Egypt Today that ‘Sinai 2018’ is a comprehensive operation which aims to eliminate all presence of terrorists groups and militia in Sinai and prevent them from escaping to another governorates or areas of the country.“This operation doesn’t just depend on arms or forces but on the information as well,” Fuad said. Military expert Taha al-Sayed also commented on the operation saying that it should be considered as a “reassuring message” from the Armed Forces to all Egyptians that they will protect them and the country’s security.The army released two-video statement to announce the launching of the operation.Army spokesperson Tamer el-Refai released the army statement "Communique 1 from the General Command of the Armed Forces" on state TV. The footage showed air attacks on terrorist hideouts as well as maritime and border work being carried out to cut supplies to the terrorist elements.President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi tweeted saying he is proud to following up on the military operations that were announced by the army and the police on Friday, which aim at uprooting terrorism across the country.“I proudly follow up the heroic acts of my sons in the armed forces and the police to purge the land of precious Egypt from terrorist elements who are enemies of life ... And always #LongLiveEgypt,” Sisi stated on his official Twitter account on Friday.

Source: Egypt Today February 09, 2018 17:15 UTC