On February 10, the independent Al-Mesryoon newspaper carried the following opinion piece by Chief Editor Gamal Sultan: “When the army of the homeland is engaged in a battle with terrorism, the trenches are clear and there can be no middle-ground or reluctant positions, as all Egyptians support their country’s army against terrorism, which is threatening Egypt among many other countries in the region and around the globe. Hence the wide support earned by the comprehensive campaign announced by the Egyptian Armed Forces against terrorism in North Sinai, the western desert and other parts of the country... Nonetheless, this did not prevent many Egyptians from asking questions, which I believe are legitimate in this context, and the most important and common of which being: Why now? Indeed, in 2013, President Abdul Fattah es-Sisi asked for a popular assignment to confront any potential terrorism.

“And at the time, large crowds took to the streets, without knowing the definition of the terrorism to which he was referring, and expressed solidarity with the state, regardless of who is in power. Later, Es-Sisi reiterated on many occasions that the people had assigned him to confront terrorism. But four and half years have gone by..., which is why it was only natural for the people to ask him: What prevented you from launching this comprehensive confrontation for five years? Why did you not use this assignment among many previous others to deter terrorism, thus allowing terrorism to expand, grow stronger and strike in every direction...? Even without this assignment, it is the president’s constitutional responsibility to protect the homeland, its border, its security and the integrity of its territories. I therefore believe that he should have held a press conference to answer these questions and clarify the situation to the citizens.

“On the other hand, the country will be witnessing an important electoral event, i.e. the presidential elections, in two months. And the sides in charge of enforcing the law should play a prominent role in securing this process and preparing the right climate for it. So, why were the armed forces and the police mobilized in this confrontation now, at a time when they had plenty of time to do so before? Why is this being done amid an electoral climate, which requires an expanded national dialogue, a criticism of the practices and an assessment of the performance of the outgoing president..., whether by the other – alleged – candidate or by the people, their national forces and their opposition forces? Is the climate of comprehensive war suitable for the opening of such files, for criticizing the president of the republic and for allowing the people to assess his policies, including what he did with the assignment and whether or not he succeeded in solving the terrorism problem?

“The first statement about comprehensive war on terrorism featured ambiguous expressions, which raised numerous questions surrounding their meaning and purpose. Indeed, the statement clarified the objectives of the operation by saying it aimed to “tighten control over the Egyptian state’s border, and ensure the achievement of the set goals to remove the terrorist pits, immunize Egyptian society against the evils of terrorism and extremism, and fight other crimes affecting internal security and stability...” The meaning of this last expression puzzled many analysts, and I believe it requires a clarification by the military spokesman to prevent any misunderstandings, seeing as how the threat to internal stability is an expression often used by official media and security platforms to target the political practices of parties and powers opposed to President Es-Sisi...”