Ban decries terrorist attacks in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula
Date 2014/10/26 17:11:11 | Topic: Egypt
|  United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has roundly condemned the recent terrorist attacks targeting security personnel in Egypt’s restive Sinai Peninsula.
“The secretary general extends his deep condolences to the families of the victims and the government of Egypt, and hopes for the quick and full recovery of the wounded,” a statement issued by the UN chief’s spokesman said on Saturday.
At least 31 Egyptian security forces were killed and dozens more sustained injuries in the terrorist attacks that hit military check points in Sheikh Zuweid and el-Arish in the Sinai Peninsula on October 24.
In a separate statement, the United Nations Security Council also denounced the deadly assaults “in the strongest terms” and offered condolences to Egyptians.
“The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable regardless of their motivation, wherever and whenever and by whomsoever committed,” the statement said.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks so far.
Following the Friday assaults, Cairo declared a state of emergency “for a duration of three months” in the northern and central parts of the Sinai Peninsula.
The Sinai Peninsula has long been considered a safe haven for armed assailants who use the region as a base for their acts of terror.
Since the ouster of Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s former president, on July 3 last year, gunmen have launched almost daily attacks in Sinai, killing security forces.
Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, an al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group, has claimed responsibility for most of the terrorist attacks in the restive region.
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