Today's newspapers shed light on the Armed Forces mission in Sinai, its results and its influence on the peace treaty with Israel.
Al-Shorouk writes this morning, “32 armed men killed, 31 tunnels destroyed in addition to the arrest of 58 suspects and the confiscation of an armory.” Armed Forces spokesperson Colonel Ahmed Mohamed Aly stated that the army is chasing 600 terrorists in Sinai and that the military operation is the beginning of a developmental program for Sinai. Aly stated that the confusing information about the operation in the media led his office to hold a periodic meeting during which the results of Sinai operations would be discussed. Aly stressed that the presence of the Armed Forces in Sinai doesn’t breach the peace treaty with Israel. The spokesperson stated that the Sinai operation consists of two phases; the first phase started on 7 August and ended on the 30th. The second phase started on 31 August and is still ongoing.
The mouthpiece of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Freedom and Justice newspaper, writes this morning, “Armed Forces declare the results of Operation Eagle.” Freedom and Justice call the operations “Eagle 1.” The newspaper stated that 20 detainees have been released and added that the authorities will declare that names of the suspects once the investigations are completed.
State-run newspaper Al-Ahram runs the headline, “The registration of the army in Sinai to combat crime.” Al-Ahram quotes the Armed Forces spokesperson denying the retreat of the Armed Forces from Sinai and states that the second phase of the operation has begun, aiming at launching a developmental program for Sinai. Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stated that the reward system implemented by the army for turning in weapons has shown positive results. The newspaper adds that the operations in Sinai are 100 percent carried by the Egyptian Armed Forces with no help from any other country. Al-Ahram concludes that President Mohamed Morsy has dedicated LE1 billion for the development of Sinai.
Al-Wafd writes on its third page, “The army declares the result of Operation Eagle.” The newspaper states that the 38 suspects were detained during the Sinai operations. Aly, the Armed Forces spokesperson, is quoted as saying that the peace treaty contains a security agreement allowing the coordination of Israel and Egypt in certain areas within Sinai, which is a common practice between any countries worldwide with military agreements. Aly added that the perpetrators of the Rafah attack received aid from Gaza and more details will be officially declared soon. Concerning the constant attacks on Rayesa checkpoint in Sinai, Aly stated that most stories of these alleged attacks are untrue and that the sound of gunshots in some areas is normal and is known militarily as “inspection shooting,” aimed at monitoring the enemy's movement at night.
Meanwhile, on its front page, Al-Shorouk writes, “Morsy joins Twitter presidents club.” The administrator of the president's account has declared that Twitter has verified the account as the official one for President Morsy. President Morsy dedicated his first tweet to the martyrs of 25 January and to the people of Syria. The tweet was also translated into English.
Egypt’s papers:
Al-Ahram: Daily, state-run, largest distribution in Egypt
Al-Akhbar: Daily, state-run, second to Al-Ahram in institutional size
Al-Gomhurriya: Daily, state-run
Rose al-Youssef: Daily, state-run
Al-Dostour: Daily, privately owned
Al-Shorouk: Daily, privately owned
Al-Watan: Daily, privately owned
Al-Wafd: Daily, published by the liberal Wafd Party
Youm7: Daily, privately owned
Al-Tahrir: Daily, privately owned
Freedom and Justice: Daily, published by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party
Sawt al-Umma: Weekly, privately owned
Al-Arabi: Weekly, published by the Nasserist Party
Al-Nour: Official paper of the Salafi Nour Party
