Top general, national security head replaced in Egypt security shakeup
cairo — Egypt launched a major shakeup of its security services on Saturday in an apparent reaction to an ambush by militants outside Cairo last week that killed at least 16 police troopers.
President Abdel Fattah El Sisi replaced his armed forces chief of staff, while the Interior Ministry, in charge of police, dismissed the head of national security, a handful of generals, and a dozen senior leaders responsible for the area where the deadly shootout occurred.
The move was not unexpected after officials publicly evoked potential intelligence failures, lack of coordination, or incompetence as playing a factor in the losses, the latest installment of Egypt’s ongoing war against militants, including the Daesh group.
Last Friday’s attack took place in the Al Wahat Al Bahriya area in Giza province, about 135km southwest of Cairo — a gateway into Egypt’s vast Western Desert which leads to Libya. Authorities consider the area an infiltration path for smugglers and militants, and have blamed some past attacks on extremists transiting through.
The attack a week ago that seemingly prompted the leadership shakeup appeared to be a carefully planned ambush that trapped many counter terrorism officers as well, with police ranks of those killed reaching up to brigadier-generals.
While the official death toll announced by the Interior Ministry was only 16 at the end of the day, with 15 militants killed or wounded, officials earlier had cited over 50 policemen killed in the attack. That would make it one of the worst on Egyptian police in years.
The last time Egypt’s security forces suffered such a heavy loss of life was in July 2015 when Daesh militants carried out a series of coordinated attacks, including suicide bombings, against army and police positions in Sinai, killing at least 50. However, the army then said only 17 soldiers were killed along with over 100 militants.
Following El Sissi’s decree, LtGen. Mohamed Farid Hegazy will now be the country’s second most senior soldier, replacing Lt-Gen. Mahmoud Hegazy. The two are not related. —
Changes expected after deadly attack