Armed Forces commemmorate anniversary of killing in Sinai

The Armed Forces commemorated the first anniversary of the killing of 16 border guards in Sinai, honoring their families in a ceremony attending by several senior military figures.

The Armed Forces spokesperson stated on the official Facebook page of the Armed Forces today, that Colonel Ahmed Bahaa Eddin al-Qassass, conveying the greetings of the commander of the armed forces Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, addressed an audience made up of families of military martyrs.

Qassass said of the fallen soldiers that they “were faithful to their oath, and gave blood and sweat to protect the country’s borders, and they deserve all our respect and appreciation.”

The soldiers were killed on 5 August 2012, on the borders of Rafah, while breaking fast last Ramadan. 

Speaking of the sacrifice of their lives for Egypt’s security, Qassass said this was the “embodiment of the greatest meaning of heroism and redemption, and a sign of the ideals and values that each and every soldier believes in.”

He emphasized that all those who had a hand in this incident will be held to account, adding his assurances that the Armed Forces are doing what they can in Sinai “to fight terror,” describing this as the only solace to the families of military martyrs “who sacrificed their lives so that each civilian can live a safe life.”

The spokesperson of the Armed Forces also published on its Facebook page a video of soldiers with the Egyptian national anthem playing. After thanking the martyrs a number of times for their sacrifice, Qassass said, addressing them, “You sacrificed your blood for Egypt… We will never forget you… And your rights will not be lost.”

In the aftermath of the incident, former President Mohamed Morsi issued a decree forcing the top military commanders into retirement, and replacing Hussein Tantawi with Sisi as defense minister and commander of the Armed Forces.