Egyptian President Al-Sisi Vows to Combat Terrorism in the Sinai

In a speech delivered on January 31, 2015, following a wave of terror attacks in the Sinai, Egyptian President Abd Al-Fattah Al-Sisi vowed to combat terrorism, saying: "We are ready to die in order to keep the Sinai in Egyptian hands."

Following are excerpts:

Abd Al-Fattah Al-Sisi: I knew full well that this is what would happen, and I believe that you also knew that we would face a great wave of terrorism. We are dealing with an organization that is at the peak of its strength, a stable organization that for many years has been making plans, and is ready, active, and successful worldwide. Today, there are countries whose leaders belong to this organization. Do you think that those countries will let us be?!

[…]

We are determined to win this battle, and I am fully aware of what I'm saying. This is war. I do not want to mention the countries that waged war against terrorism in Afghanistan, in Iraq, and in many other places in the world. They went away and left the terrorism in place. In Egypt, however, we will never do that. No. We will not abandon the Sinai to anyone. We are ready to die in order to keep the Sinai in Egyptian hands.

[…]

As I said before, these people give us a choice: "Either we will rule you, or we will kill you. Make your choice." I myself am ready to be killed. I have no problem with that. Yes, I'm telling you that I'm willing to be killed. I am ready to meet my Maker with a clear conscience. They give us a choice: "Either be ruled by us or be killed by us." You [Egyptians] said that you would not be ruled by them, and we took it upon ourselves to be killed for your sake. That is the whole story.

I say this because I do not care about anyone in the world but you. I care about no one but the Egyptians. I am prepared to face the entire world as long as you stand by my side. Otherwise, I cannot do it. I cannot fight without you. I cannot fight without you Egyptians. You are the ones who changed the world, and I cannot change it without you. This must be clear. We are not afraid, and we have taken the necessary measures.

Finally, I would like to say to those who help and assist you: We know who you are, we are watching you, and we will not just let you be. Do I need to say it again? To those who help and assist you, we say: We are watching you, and we will not just let you be. With the help of Allah, we will be victorious in this confrontation.

[…]