Egypt's Sisi discusses North Sinai security with defence minister, officials

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met on Tuesday with defence and interior ministers, the armed forces’ chief of staff, and a number of top officials to discuss security developments in Egypt, specifically in the restive North Sinai governorate.
“The meeting included a briefing on security developments as well as plans that the armed forces and police are implementing [in North Sinai] to counter terrorist elements that aim to harm the country’s stability,” presidency spokesman Alaa Youssef said.
Youssef added that El-Sisi ordered during the meeting the continuation of full coordination in fieldwork between the armed forces and police, stressing the necessity of exercising a high degree of diligence.
El-Sisi asked officials to continue “targeting terrorist and criminal elements,” but stressed the importance of putting citizens’ security and safety first.
The meeting comes three days after 15 policemen were killed in an armed attack on a police checkpoint in North Sinai’s Al-Arish.
A security source told Al-Ahram Arabic website late on Monday that a policeman and two conscripts from the checkpoint are still missing after the attack.
According to an official statement by the interior ministry on Monday, the policemen were killed when a mortar shell blasted through a police checkpoint in Arish’s El-Safa neighbourhood.