Egypt used French military aid to “kill civilians”: Report Abdel Fattah el-Sisi News

The report says he was involved in 19 Egyptian airstrikes against French civilian intelligence between 2016 and 2018.

Egypt has used intelligence provided by the French army to assault and kill suspected smuggled civilians, according to a report on the Disclose investigation website, based on leaked documents.

French opposition MPs were immediately asked to investigate claims to form a parliamentary committee, and Defense Minister Florence Parly ordered her investigation after the report was published on Sunday.

“Sirli,” the name of the mission between the two countries, was designed to provide information on security threats on Egypt’s western border with Libya, Disclos said.

“In principle, the mission … was to explore the western desert to find possible terrorist threats coming from Libya,” using a light aircraft designed for surveillance and reconnaissance, he said.

“But very quickly, members of the group (the French) understand that the intelligence given to the Egyptians is being used to kill suspected civilians. [carrying] smuggling, ”the website wrote.

French soldiers regularly informed their superiors of information abuse, he added.

The disclosure was based on hundreds of classified documents about the leaked operation.

According to these documents, he was involved in 19 airstrikes against the French civilian army between 2016 and 2018.

Calls for consultation

Operation Sirli began in February 2016 under the presidency of Francois Hollande.

It has continued to do so, despite both French military intelligence (DRM) and the air force’s reservations about how Egypt uses intelligence, Disclos said.

Such a note was addressed to Defense Minister Parly on January 22, 2019, before French President Emmanuel Macron paid an official visit to Egypt.

Neither the French presidency nor the military responded to the requests for comment from journalists who conducted the investigation.

A few hours after the story was published, a statement from the French Ministry of Defense confirmed that the two countries had agreements in the areas of intelligence and counter-terrorism.

Citing security reasons, however, they were not prepared to say more about the issue.

The statement says Disclos is launching an investigation into the information revealed.

The left-wing opposition party France Unbowed released a statement calling on parliament to conduct an investigation into the allegations.

The party called on Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who was Hollande’s defense minister in the presidency, to appear before Parliament to respond to the allegations.

Although France has expressed a desire to redirect arms exports to Europe, Egypt remains one of its main customers. Sales there rose sharply when President el-Sisi took power in 2014. Since then, Egypt has bought a French Rafale fighter jet, a frigate, four corvettes and two Mistral helicopter ships.

In December 2020, Macron awarded him the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor of el-Sisi, the highest honor offered by France, sparking the anger of activists who have criticized the history of his human rights.