Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said he is following with pride the heroics of the army and police in Operation Sinai 2018, which was launched by the army today to purge the country of terrorism.

“I follow with pride the heroics of my sons from the Armed Forces and the Police to purge the beloved land of Egypt from terrorists, the enemies of life. And always, long live Egypt,” El-Sisi said in a post on his official Facebook page.

Earlier on Fiday, Egypt’s armed forces launched a major new military operation Operation Sinai 2018 to purge country from terrorism.

Military spokesman Colonel Tamer El-Refaei read the army's statement "Communique 1 from the General Command of the Armed Forces" on state TV, announcing the launch of the operation.

According to El-Refaie, the military operation will include “comprehensive confrontation of terrorist and criminal elements and organizations in north and middle Sinai and other areas in the Nile Delta and the desert areas west of the Nile valley”.