As threats in the Middle East grow, there’s a pressing need in the region, Egypt’s President said Sunday.
“The need for a unified Arab force is growing and becoming more pressing every day,” President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said in a televised address, noting that Jordan and the United Arab Emirates have offered to send troops as Egypt steps up its efforts to battle ISIS in neighboring Libya.
“The challenges in the region, and facing our countries, are huge challenges, and … we can overcome those challenges once we are together,” el-Sisi said.
El-Sisi’s comment comes after a series of Egyptian airstrikes targeting ISIS in Libya in retaliation for the slaughter of 21 Egyptian Christians by the jihadist group.
On Sunday, he said the Egyptian army isn’t an aggressor angling to invade foreign territory.
“Your armed forces only protect the people of Egypt, and we coordinate with our Arab brothers,” el-Sisi said.