By Samah Abdel Fattah | 2024-07-03

CAIRO -- The impact of longstanding counterterrorism funding the United States provides to Egypt became clear after Egyptian forces uprooted terrorism in all parts of the country, particularly North Sinai, experts said.

Since 1979, the United States has provided Egypt about $1.3 billion a year -- more than $50 billion total -- to combat terrorism and related activities, including money laundering and drug trafficking, Cairo University professor of international relations Mohieddin Ghanem told Al-Fassel.

The continuation of US support to Egypt, despite political fluctuations, shows the United States "is fully aware that the results relate not only to Egyptian national security," Ghanem said.

Egyptian counterterrorism efforts contribute to the security of the Middle East and North Africa and to overall global security, given the danger posed by groups such as al-Qaeda and the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS), he noted.

"Both countries continue to activate and support this bilateral cooperation through outstanding diplomatic and political relations," he said.

Additional support from the United States "is directed to agriculture, housing, education and improving infrastructure, as that is a fundamental pillar upon which Egypt relies in its development process," he said.

"This runs in parallel to the fight against terrorism."

Confronting terrorists in Sinai

Egypt has been forced to restructure its military, security and intelligence forces in light of the terrorist threat, military expert Wael Abdul Muttalib told Al-Fassel.

"It would not have been possible for Egypt to succeed in this endeavor without the help of its allies, especially the United States," he noted.

"In a very short period, the Egyptian army was able to seize the initiative and move from confronting terrorists in various provinces, especially North Sinai, to pursuing the remnants of these groups and eliminating their direct threat."

"All that remain are some isolated sleeper cells, now in retreat, that were making desperate but failed attempts to emerge," Abdul Muttalib added.

The Egyptian Armed Forces developed their defensive and offensive capabilities "remarkably", he said, in addition to upgrading their combat and surveillance equipment.

In record time, they were able to enhance border security and their methods of searching for and dealing with armed groups, he said.

US-Egyptian cooperation in exchanging intelligence also played a key role in the success of the Egyptian efforts, he added.