30 August has been announced by the MB a day of rage in Egypt. They have vowed—again—to “burn Egypt”, a vow they took several times before and which they implemented with a vengeance
30 August has been announced by the MB a day of rage in Egypt. They have vowed—again—to “burn Egypt”, a vow they took several times before and which they implemented with a vengeance. The most recent such spate of violence and burning was waged on 15 – 17 August, in revenge for the break-up of the MB sit-ins in Cairo and Giza. Copts came in for the lion’s share of MB terror, with more 60 churches, schools, businesses, shops and vehicles burned or ruined. The fiercest attacks were waged in Minya, Assiut, Sohag, Beni-Sweif, and Fayoum in Upper Egypt.
The police also came in for a fair share of the brutal attacks; also national targets such as Mallawi Museum, the governorate building of Giza, and Cairo University’s Faculty of Engineering to cite but a few.
In Minya, the Islamists have marked Coptic homes with the four-finger sign of Rabaa. Copts take this to mean they will be targeted, and are already terrorised.
The army is expected to step up defences next Friday. The police alone are not able to stand up to the Islamist terror which takes place in several spots at the same time; the help of the military is needed.
Tuesday morning, military helicopters were seen flying low over Dalga in Minya, and a large number of military armoured vehicles were seen in the vicinity. There are rumours among the locals that key Islamist figures are in hiding there.
Friday is expected to be a day of ‘life or death’ for the Islamists, who have been severely weakened by the security crackdown against their leaders. Many in Egypt fear what their desperation may lead them to do.
Watani International
27 August 2013