CAIRO — Col. Tamer al-Rifai, the spokesman for the Egyptian army, announced in a televised statement Feb. 9 that the Egyptian army, in cooperation with the police, launched a comprehensive anti-terrorism operation in the Sinai Peninsula under the name Operation Sinai 2018. This called into question the timing of the campaign, which comes one month ahead of the presidential elections in which Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will be running for a second term.

Sisi praised the operation and said on his Facebook page Feb. 9, “I proudly follow up the heroic acts of my sons in the armed forces and the police to purge the precious land of Egypt of terrorist elements who are enemies of life.”

The operation was warmly welcomed by the government, the parliament, Al-Azhar and the Egyptian Church. The Civil Democratic Movement, which includes liberal and left-wing political parties, voiced support for the army. Hamdeen Sabahy, a leader in the movement and a former presidential candidate, said in a Feb. 9 statement on his Facebook page, “We endlessly support all actions aimed at defeating the black terror that has claimed the lives of several civilians and martyrs in the armed forces and the police.”

The operation comes three weeks before the end of the three-month deadline Sisi set for army Chief of Staff Gen. Mohamed Farid Hegazy to restore security and stability in Sinai. During Prophet Muhammad's birth ceremony held Nov. 29, Sisi told Hegazy, “In cooperation with the Ministry of Interior, you shall restore security and stability in Sinai within three months using brute force.”