MOSCOW, September 29 (RIA Novosti) - Egypt is considering taking the lead in the international fight against terrorism as extremist groups are advancing in several countries, Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab told Rossiya Segodnya on Monday.
"Today's terrorism is an artificially created product which has no borders and is expanding at high speed. The price for terrorism is being paid by ordinary people. Egypt can lead the list of countries that are active in the fight against terrorism," Mahlab said.
"We need to protect our borders, especially the border with Libya, which stretches out over more than a thousand kilometers. We will fight against terrorism inside the country, because the prevalence of terrorism is enormous. We have seen what is happening in Libya, Iraq, Egypt, Syria and what transferred to Algeria, where a French citizen was recently beheaded," the Egyptian prime minister added.
Egypt has seen a surge in clashes and terrorist attacks in recent years. Especially active is the Sinai-based Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis insurgent group, which is reportedly linked to the Islamic State (IS).
The IS, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), has been fighting against the Syrian government since 2012. In June 2014, the group launched an offensive in northern and western Iraq and declared the establishment of a caliphate on the territories under its control.
A US-led international coalition is currently carrying out airstrikes against IS targets in Iraq and Syria. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi has expressed his support for the coalition and urged US President Barack Obama to expand his campaign against terrorism beyond Syria and Iraq. He has also expressed concern over the large number of foreigners who have joined IS ranks, noting that each of them poses a danger to his or her home country. According to the Egyptian leader, foreign IS members can easily pass airport border controls without arousing suspicion.
