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Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Egypt says Turkey is shipping weapons to Sinai jihadists

Egyptian officials say that they are seeing increasing smuggling of weapons from Turkey to Sinai jihadists, reports Al Ahram (and others).

The weapons arrive on ships arriving from Turkey arriving at multiple Egyptian ports along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Maj. Gen. Osama Askar, commander of the Third Army, said that the weapons and other supplies are reaching the Islamic militants through the ports at Alexandria, Damietta and Port Said.

He also said that the Egyptian army will increase its monitoring of ships that pass through the Suez Canal. Egypt has also seen weapons arrive from Libya

Hamdy Fakharany, a member of Egyptian parliament, called on Egypt to sever relations with Turkey saying that statements by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan against the coup in Egypt as well as statements that were apparently against the religious rulings of Al Azhar University.