Egyptian security officials inspect the site of a bomb blast, in Giza, Egypt, 09 December 2016. NurPhoto/SIPA USA/PA Images. All rights reserved.“The army is a killing machine.” - These were words chosen by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to address his soldiers as minister of defense. In a video leaked nearly three years ago, he explained why the army is incapable of fighting terrorism, why it should not partake in it and vowed this will never be its role. “It is not an arresting machine, we don’t know how to arrest,” he explained. “Why don’t we say this in the media? Because it’s not useful, people are unable to understand.”
True to Sisi’s words, the army has been a killing machine, but breaking his vow, the army has placed itself at the forefront of the fight against terror. Over 6,000 people have been killed in operations in North Sinai under claims of terrorism affiliated activities.
Reports on the ground have indicated that there are far more indiscriminate arrests and killings than the army cares to share. These reports have been vindicated after the release of a video showing unarmed men gunned down in cold blood by men in army uniforms. They were blindfolded and shot in the head and torso point blank. Earlier the army had released photos and videos claiming that these eight men were terrorists killed in a gun fight.
