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CAIRO – Egypt said on Sunday that it had killed 19 militants linked to an ambush causing the death of seven Christian pilgrims, while President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was trying to respond to rising Christian anger against his government.
The Interior Ministry said that Egyptian forces had killed activists during a pursuit through a mountainous area in the desert west of the ancient monastery, where armed men opened fire on three buses filled with pilgrims on Friday.
Six of the seven pilgrims killed during the attack arrived. of the same extended family, said Coptic Orthodox leaders.
The announcement made Sunday was accompanied by photographs illustrating bloody bodies lying in the sand. But he gave little details about the circumstances of the raid, including its timing or the losses suffered by the government.
Egypt regularly publishes such raids, but it remains unclear why the security forces are unable to put an end to militant attacks. The indignation provoked by Friday's attack – the deadliest against Christians for nearly a year – was fueled by the fact that militants similarly ambushed near the same place in May 2017, killing 28 pilgrims.
At a funeral in Minya on Saturday, hundreds of mourners mocked loudly and waved their fingers after a Coptic bishop publicly thanked the security forces and government officials.
During the attack on Friday, gunmen opened fire on three buses shortly after leaving St. Samuel Monastery. , in the desert south of Cairo, killing seven people in a bus and injuring a total of 19 others, according to officials of the Coptic Church.
The Islamic State claims responsibility, claiming on its Amaq press service that the attack was in retaliation.
Egypt's intelligence service described the attack as a "desperate attempt" showing the group's weakness. But he also renewed doubts as to the effectiveness of the Egyptian strategy against the powerful local affiliate to an Islamic state, which has expanded beyond its Sinai stronghold in recent years for its own sake. attack Christians in churches, large cities and monasteries.
The Islamic State successfully launched an attack on the same road, next to the same monastery, one year apart, "said Timothy E. Kaldas, an badyst at the Institute Tahrir for politics in the Middle East. "This really calls into question the quality of the efforts of the government to enhance security, especially in Minya, where the Christian minority is continually being targeted."
Pope Francis in Rome denounced violence. "I pray for the victims, the pilgrims killed just because they were Christians," he said Sunday to the faithful present in St. Peter's Square.
year in the seaside resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, in the Red Sea, and this is an important part of his efforts to soften the image of his authoritarian regime. and reiterated its commitment to fight discrimination.
Critics point out that freedom of religion remains uncertain under Sisi. The construction of Christian churches is subject to heavy governmental restrictions. Muslim mobs have attacked Christians in the Minya governorate, site of Friday's attack, which is home to a large number of Christians estimated at 10 million Egypt. The authorities arrested some atheists and prevented others.
The Coptic Orthodox leadership and many Christians have been supporting Mr. Sisi after he came to power during a military takeover in 2013, in the hope of a protection against the violent attacks that took place during the brief period of the Muslim Brotherhood's reign.
But the sustained pace of IS attacks on Christian targets, including suicide attacks on cathedrals in Cairo and Alexandria in 2016 and 2017, eroded this support.
"I saw many Christians of different clbades becoming disillusioned with the government and with Sisi," said badyst Mr. Kaldas. "Life has become more difficult and security has not been badured."
Christians feel threatened from all sides. After Friday's attack, an article published on a Muslim Brotherhood website said that Sisi had orchestrated the events to gain public sympathy – an unfounded badertion made regularly by supporters of the Brotherhood after attacks on Christians.
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