Egypt, US Agree to Intensify Cooperation in Combating Terrorism

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and his accompanying delegation (Egyptian Presidency)
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and his accompanying delegation (Egyptian Presidency)
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Egypt, US Agree to Intensify Cooperation in Combating Terrorism

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and his accompanying delegation (Egyptian Presidency)
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and his accompanying delegation (Egyptian Presidency)

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has met with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to discuss ways to enhance cooperation between the two countries in combating terrorism and extremist ideology.

The presidential spokesman Bassam Radi said that Sullivan conveyed President Joe Biden's greetings to Sisi and his assurances on the importance and strength of the Egyptian-US alliance.

Washington wants to develop partnerships with Cairo and bring them to broader horizons during the coming period.

He indicated that this comes within the framework of close and extended cooperation relations between the two countries, particularly in light of the essential Egyptian role under Sisi’s leadership in the Middle East, as a mainstay for security and stability.

Sisi stressed Egypt's keenness to strengthen its extended strategic partnership with the US, intensify cooperation and coordination between the two countries at various levels since there are common interests between the two countries, and support efforts to restore security and stability in the Middle East because it suffers from tension and turmoil.

The president affirmed Egypt's firm position based on the need to strengthen the pillars and national institutions of countries in crises to end the suffering of their peoples, preserve their capabilities, and help fill the vacuum that allowed terrorist groups to expand and spread.

The National Security Advisor expressed the US administration's profound appreciation for Egypt's extended efforts to establish peace in the region, its primary role in the truce between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, and the initiatives for the reconstruction of Gaza.

Sullivan praised Egypt's efforts, and a consensus was reached on the importance of promoting cooperation between the two sides in this field during the next stage, given that terrorism is a significant global threat.

The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Head of General Intelligence Major General Abbas Kamel, US Chargé d'Affaires Nicole Shampaine, Middle East Coordinator at the Security Council Brett McGurk, Head of the North Africa Department of the US National Security Council Joshua Harris, Senior Advisor to the President of the US National Security Council Ariana Berengaut.



Germany Hands Syrian Doctor Life for Torturing Assad Critics

Syrian doctor Alaa M., accused of crimes against humanity, arrives for his judgment in the security room of the Higher Regional Court in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 16 June 2025. (EPA)
Syrian doctor Alaa M., accused of crimes against humanity, arrives for his judgment in the security room of the Higher Regional Court in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 16 June 2025. (EPA)
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Germany Hands Syrian Doctor Life for Torturing Assad Critics

Syrian doctor Alaa M., accused of crimes against humanity, arrives for his judgment in the security room of the Higher Regional Court in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 16 June 2025. (EPA)
Syrian doctor Alaa M., accused of crimes against humanity, arrives for his judgment in the security room of the Higher Regional Court in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 16 June 2025. (EPA)

A Syrian doctor who had practiced in Germany was sentenced to life in prison by a German court on Monday for crimes against humanity and war crimes after he was found guilty of torturing dissidents in Syria.

The 40-year-old, identified only as Alaa M. in accordance with German privacy laws, was found guilty of killing two people and torturing another eight during his time working in Syria as a doctor at a military hospital and detention center in Homs in 2011 and 2012.

The court said his crimes were part of a systematic attack against people protesting against then-President Bashar al-Assad that precipitated the country's civil war.

Assad was toppled in December. His government denied it tortured prisoners.

Alaa M. arrived in Germany in 2015, after fleeing to Germany among a large influx of Syrian refugees, and became one of roughly 10,000 Syrian medics who helped ease acute staff shortages in the country's healthcare system.

He was arrested in June 2020, and was handed a life sentence without parole, the Higher Regional Court in Frankfurt said in a statement.

The defendant had pleaded not guilty, saying he was the target of a conspiracy.

German prosecutors have used universal jurisdiction laws that allow them to seek trials for suspects in crimes against humanity committed anywhere in the world.

They have targeted several former Syrian officials in similar cases in recent years.

The plaintiffs were supported by the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights.

ECCHR lawyer Patrick Kroker called Monday's ruling "a further step towards a comprehensive reckoning with Assad's crimes".

Judges found that the doctor caused "considerable physical suffering" as a result of the torture inflicted on his victims, which included serious beatings, mistreating wounds and inflicting serious injury to the genitals of two prisoners, one of whom was a teenage boy.

Two patients died after he gave them lethal medication, the court statement said.

Monday's ruling can be appealed.