Egypt's Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Mohamed Farid discussed the challenges in the Middle East and US-Egyptian military cooperation with Marine General Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, on the sidelines of the US conference against terrorism and extremist organizations in Washington DC.

The conference, which was held this week, was attended by the chiefs of staff of the countries participating in the war against terrorism, the spokesperson of the Egyptian Armed Forces said in a statement on his Facebook page on Friday.

Farid, who was accompanied by a high-level military delegation, returned to Cairo on Friday.

Farid and Dunford discussed "supporting military cooperation, joint training and exchange of experiences" between the two countries, the Egyptian military said.

They also discussed "countering terrorism and challenges facing the Middle East region."

During the conference, Farid presented on the security and developmental dimensions of Egypt's Operation Sinai 2018, the large-scale counter-terrorism operation Egypt launched in February.

Lieutenant General Farid also met with the chiefs of staff of various countries participating in the conference to discuss military cooperation..

The conference also tackled efforts by the US-led international coalition fighting Daesh, unity of efforts to eradicate terrorism in the region and across the world, illegal migration and cross-border crime.