Saturday, April 4, 2015

Random Notes On Kuwaiti Media, Our Yemen War 2 and Other irreverent Stuff

If you think that it is awkward that the Egyptian media quotes Kuwaiti Journalist Fajar El-Saeed for Egyptian military news and updates then you have to think again. It seems that the Kuwaiti Media , not only Fajar El-Saeed will replace the official statements of the Egyptian Armed Forces spokesperson after all.
On  Wednesday the media was on fire and many news websites in Egypt and Yemen published news reports that Egyptian armed forces sent paratroopers to Yemen in a huge development. The source of that news is Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai.
On March 29 , 2015 the Kuwaiti newspaper reported that Egyptian paratroopers were dropped at the city of Mocha to secure its port as Bab El-Mandab strain. 
On March 30 , 2015 the Kuwaiti newspaper’s Cairo correspondent Ahmed Abdel Azim reported that Egyptian military units from Navy forces , air forces and ground forces arrived to Yemen according to anonymous Egyptian sources. He also claimed that 25 Egyptian jet fighters reached Yemen and participated in the air strikes targeting Houthi-controlled areas like in Sa’ada , Al-Malahiz and Taiz 
The report claimed also there were Egyptian ground forces fighting Houthis.
There has been no official comment about those claims whether from Egypt or Saudi Coalition till this day.
I remember when Operation Decisive Storm started , the Egyptian presidency made it clear that only the Navy forces and air forces are participating in the operation.
The role of the Navy forces is to protect Bab El-Mandab strain as announced. During then I remember sources told AFP or AP that 4 Egyptians warships were deployed to protect the strain.
There has been no official statement till this day from the Egyptian armed forces about the exact kind of participation in the coalition or the number of jet fighters or warships or even the number of Egyptian soldiers participating in the operation.  
Where is the transparency ?? I think Egyptians need to know the truth about our participation in Operation Decisive Storm. I do not know if I have to explain fundamental facts on why they need the truth.


Needless to say that sort of reports about Egyptian ground forces’ involvement in Yemen affect on the Egyptian expats in Yemen who are still there stuck in cities like Sana’a with no safe way out. The Yemeni Facebook pages share those unconfirmed news reports and the comments start pouring from the type “Let the Egyptians come and will dig their graves like in 1962” and that sort of talk.
Already I want to understand how the decision to participate in the Operation Decisive Storm has been taken. I want to understand the position of the Egyptian state from what is happening because I feel that I am lost.
I remember following the storming of Aden from two weeks ago the Egyptian ministry of foreign affairs said that the reports of a military action by Egypt and GCC were inaccurate then next day we found out that Egypt was officially participating in a coalition that launched a military operation in Yemen !! Then  the Saudi media did not consider Egypt part of the coalition but rather like Pakistan was ready to participate and help the kingdom against the Houthis at the same the Egyptian media claims that the Egyptian navy kicked the ass of the Iranian navy.
At the same time we have complete silence when it comes to the army’s official media.
We are reading in the websites in the past few days that there are Egyptian ground forces in Yemen and then I find the President saying in a speech at some armed forces event that he was calling all the fighting parties in Yemen to be responsible !!
El-Sisi and SCAF on Saturday 
Mr. President officially we already took a side in that fight.
On Saturday he made short TV speech after his meeting SCAF after the Sinai attacks on Thursday where he made it clear to reassure that the security of Gulf was Egypt’s responsibility and that time was different than the one in the 1962. 

March 1963 the original Egypt's Field Marshal Abdel Hakim Amar
explains to UN Under-Secretary Dr. Ralph Bunce the Egyptian operations in
Yemen Civil war 
Some consider that meeting and speech were a prelude for a ground invasion especially Egypt’s chief staff Mahmoud Hegazy's visit to Saudi Arabia in order to attend a meeting about that Future Joint Arab Forces.
Somehow I believe it has to do with Sinai more than Yemen this time.
I just do not know. The Pro-Sisi Media actually is sending mixed messages especially with the recent war of words between the Egyptian media and Saudi media “Needs a whole post about it” 
I do not understand exactly where we are standing from Yemen and the fight there for real. Personally I feel that El-Sisi and his administration did not want to join Saudi Arabia but had to because he does not want to lose the new King’s support especially in that critical matter. This is my own interpretation to the whole matter.
Needless to say sending our troops abroad got specific steps in the constitution. Yes El-Sisi replaces the Parliament as he got legislative powers but sending our troops over borders got specific rules if I am not mistaken according to the Constitution. In the first brief statement issued by the Egyptian presidency regarding Egypt’s military participation it was stated that the constitutional procedures “to send troops across borders” were met but there was no direct or explicit mention that El-Sisi headed a meeting for the National Defense Council.
According to Constitution 2014 , article 152  the President should seek the approval of the National Defense Council and cabinet as well in case of the absence of the parliament on sending our troops in combat missions beyond borders. Interestingly
Armed Forces’ chief of Staff Mahmoud Hegazy was in New York attend the United Nations Chiefs of Defense Conference. He left Cairo on 24 March and returned back on 30 March. The Chief of staff is among the 12 members of the National Defense council should be present if the council convenes as far as I understand. This is a side remark.
It is worth to mention that El-Sisi headed a National Defense council meeting to discuss the air strikes on Libya in February after the murder of 20 Egyptian Christian workers by ISIS.
Again this is a side remark that should have been brought up since day one. We already know that Constitution is irreverent stuff for this regime.

9 comments:

  1. The AhramOnline article you link to doesn't promise that Egyptian soldiers won't be used, only that navy and air force will be used. You read too much into that article, I think.

    It is great news, really fantastic news, that all three Egyptian military branches are participating! There is no better training than a real firefight, and this one is as safe for Egypt as they get, with so many in the coalition. This conflict is win-win for Egypt.

    In the title and last sentence, irreverent should be irrelevant.

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    1. with jasons seal of approval we can all be sure lives are not being lost for no good reason

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  2. irrelevant not irreverant. Keep up the good work

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  3. The Egyptian regime essentially got its ass kicked in Libya and had to abandon its proxies there. If it fights Iran, Iran will kick its ass more thoroughly. Iran is a higher level ass kicker than Egypt at the present time. It has kicked steelier asses in recent years.

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  4. Vicious article.. as usual from you zeinobia, your hatred to Egyptian Armed orces have no equal

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  5. Ahavat Eretz Isreal4/10/2015 09:14:00 PM

    Now Egyptians pay the price for the billions that the Gulf states donated generously at the Sharm el Sheikh conference.
    However, the war comes quite handy in order to divert public opinion from the facts of a failing economy.

    The only reason that I can imagine why Egyptians put all their trust and confidence in their armed forces is that all alternatives proved to be corrupt, reckless and outright criminal. But even the most simple minded should see that this army lost every war outside of Egypt (and many inside) and that their soldiers are dying like flies in Sinai already.
    Yemen will turn into a Middle-Eastern Vietnam.The Saudis will run as soon as their casualties are rising and the Egyptians will be the canon fodder for the tribes in Yemen.

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    Replies
    1. The army's institutional leadership has become a cult. It can only afford cult-like/cultic leadership. It can never be anything more.

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