Egypt extends state of emergency for 3 months amid dangerous conditions

Egypt’s House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, on Thursday approved a presidential decree extending a nationwide state of emergency for three more months starting Jan. 24, state-run Nile TV reported.

“The decision has been taken to deal with the ongoing dangerous health and security conditions in the country,’’ said the general committee of the House of Representatives.

According to the decree, the armed forces and the police will take the necessary measures to fight terrorism and its financing, maintain security nationwide, protect public and private properties and preserve the lives of citizens.

According to the Egyptian constitution, presidential decisions to extend the state of emergency must be approved by the parliament.

Egypt imposed the state of emergency in 2017 after two church bombings killed at least 45.

It has since been constantly renewed in accordance with the constitution.

Egypt has been suffering terrorist attacks, which killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers in remote North Sinai Province and later spread to big cities including Cairo and Alexandria, since the military ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

Most of the attacks were claimed by the Wilayat Sinai, a Sinai-based group affiliated with the extremist Islamic State.

In February 2018, Egypt launched a comprehensive operation to uproot terrorism, which has since killed at least 1,000 militants. (Xinhua/NAN)