Security Alert in Egypt for Eid Celebrations, Africa Cup

Egyptian soldiers training in the Suez area. AFP file photo
Egyptian soldiers training in the Suez area. AFP file photo
TT

Security Alert in Egypt for Eid Celebrations, Africa Cup

Egyptian soldiers training in the Suez area. AFP file photo
Egyptian soldiers training in the Suez area. AFP file photo

Egypt’s security apparatuses have been deployed to bolster security during Eid al-Fitr celebrations and the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) that will be held between June 21 and July 19.

On Monday, security and police forces were deployed on major roads and tourist attractions amid an announcement by the Egyptian Interior Ministry that it has started upping security measures nationwide to protect citizens.

The ministry said the deployed elements are trained in immediate response to deal firmly and decisively with whoever aims to disturb security and peace.

Starting Tuesday, Egypt celebrates Eid al-Fitr, a religious holiday marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

Also, the Interior Ministry explained that a new plan was set to deal with traffic congestion as it deployed qualified recruits to work in the traffic departments of Cairo, Giza and Alexandria.

In north Sinai, the Egyptian Army and police continued their anti-terror operations, mainly against ISIS members.

Undersecretary of the Health Ministry in northern Sinai Dr. Tareq Kamel said that the ministry requested all hospitals across the province to take a series of emergency measures and ensure that extra medication is available.

Late last month, Confederation of African Football President Ahmad Ahmad said a special committee has been set up to deal with security concerns at the Africa Cup of Nations.

In May, at least 17 people were injured when an explosion hit a bus carrying mostly South African tourists in Cairo, on the perimeter of the Grand Egyptian Museum.

The Nations Cup will feature 24 teams from around the continent to play at venues in Cairo, Alexandria, Ismailia and Suez.



Putin Denies Russian Defeat in Syria, Says He Plans to Meet Assad

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds his annual end-of-year press conference in Moscow on December 19, 2024. (Photo by Alexander NEMENOV / AFP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin holds his annual end-of-year press conference in Moscow on December 19, 2024. (Photo by Alexander NEMENOV / AFP)
TT

Putin Denies Russian Defeat in Syria, Says He Plans to Meet Assad

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds his annual end-of-year press conference in Moscow on December 19, 2024. (Photo by Alexander NEMENOV / AFP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin holds his annual end-of-year press conference in Moscow on December 19, 2024. (Photo by Alexander NEMENOV / AFP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia had not been defeated in Syria and that Moscow had made proposals to the new rulers in Damascus to maintain Russia's military bases there.
In his first public comments on the subject, Putin said he had not yet met former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad since was overthrown and forced to flee to Moscow earlier this month, but that he planned to do so.
In response to a question on the subject from a US journalist, Putin said he would ask Assad about the fate of US reporter Austin Tice, who is missing in Syria, and was ready to ask Syria's new rulers about Tice's whereabouts too.
"I will tell you frankly, I have not yet seen President Assad since he came to Moscow. But I plan to do so. I will definitely talk to him," said Putin.
He said most people in Syria with whom Russia had been in contact about the future of its two main military bases in Syria were supportive of them staying, but that talks were ongoing, Reuters said.
Russia, which intervened in Syria in 2015 and turned the tide of the civil war there in Assad's favor, had also told other countries that they could use its airbase and naval base to bring in humanitarian aid for Syria, he said.
"You want to portray everything that is happening in Syria as some kind of failure, a defeat for Russia. I assure you, it is not. And I'll tell you why. We came to Syria 10 years ago to prevent a terrorist enclave from being created there," said Putin.
"On the whole, we have achieved our goal. It is not for nothing that today many European countries and the United States want to establish relations with them (Syria's new rulers). If they are terrorist organizations, why are you (the West) going there? So that means they have changed."