By Sarah Saad
Armed Forces Spokesman, Col Gharib Abdel Hafez Gharib, extended his sincere congratulations to the Egyptian people on the occasion of the golden jubilee of the October victory.
“I wish the great Egyptian people all the best,” he told The Egyptian Gazette in special statements.
He added that the great October generation reshaped the history of the Egyptian military with the sacrifices and blood of the men, who were true to their promise to God.
“They left us an immortal legacy that bears witness to all generations,” he added.
Col Gharib noted that the immortal October victories would not have been successful without the support of the Egyptian people to their Armed Forces during a difficult period in the nation’s history to build strong and capable Armed Forces in a national epic whose heroes were the people and the army to raise the flag of this nation.
He added that the October victories and the many battles they witnessed started with the war of attrition until victory was achieved in the October War.
“Destroying the myth of the invincible army was considered a miracle by all military standards in the world,” Col Gharib said.
“The surprise was in the change that occurred in Egyptian soldiers in terms of awareness, training, and morale,” he added.
He said Egyptian soldiers were distinguished by their agility and speed in a lightning war that knocked the enemy off balance in six hours, as the late President Mohamed Anwar Sadat mentioned.
The miracle, the army spokesman said, was in achieving surprise and mobilising our forces along the western bank of the Suez Canal, crossing a difficult, almost impossible water barrier, storming the impenetrable Bar Lev Line, which was said to be the strongest defensive line in the world, and the Air Defence Forces creating a very complex missile wall and an airstrike with the participation of 220 fighter jets simultaneously which successfully destroyed 95 per cent of its planned targets.
“The victor was the party that imposed peace in defence of a just case, and the victor was the party that regained its entire land without diminution,” Col Gharib said.
“There is no way to preserve this victory, except by continual preparedness to preserve the gains of this country,” he added.
He noted that nothing is impossible as long as there is a nation’s will.
This, he said, was what the Armed Forces realised.
“They consequently increased their capabilities and their armament and training systems in line with the most modern military systems in the world,” he added.
Development and modernisation strategy for the Armed Forces
Col Gharib said the Armed Forces were keen to implement a comprehensive strategy for development, starting with the individual combatant as the basic foundation for building a strong national army, to keeping pace with the rapid development in combat systems and methods and the diversity of armament sources, and ending with possessing the latest elements of science, technology and armament systems to support their combat and technical capabilities to fulfil the tasks assigned to them in securing the state’s borders on all strategic directions to preserve Egyptian national security in the light of the challenges posed by regional and international events and changes.
He added that the Armed Forces also paid great attention to combat training and raising combat efficiency, as well as joint training with friendly and brotherly countries according to carefully studied plans.
“Thirty-four joint/passing trainings were implemented during 2022/2023 so far on all strategic directions of the state,” the army spokesman said.
Armed Forces’ strategy to eliminate terrorism
He noted that the Armed Forces faced a fierce battle against terrorism, as they were able to restore stability and provide security to the people of Sinai through a comprehensive strategy.
He added that the Armed Forces, considered the true guarantor of confronting terrorism, deals with the causes of terrorism in a scientific manner to provide social security and peace as major pillars of the Egyptian state.
Hence, he said, the comprehensive strategy to combat terrorism relied on three main axes:
Security axis: through the security confrontation of terrorist elements and drying up sources of supply, while continuing to secure the borders on all strategic directions of the state.
Development axis: by actively contributing to the state’s comprehensive development plan.
Social axis: in partnership with state institutions in raising the standard of living and services for citizens.
“This is what was stated in United Nations Report No. 14 at the end of 2021, where it attributed, in Clause No. 27, Egypt’s success in its war on terrorism to reasons that included public investments in infrastructure, transportation, and housing in Sinai,” Col Gharib said.
Role of the Armed Forces in the comprehensive development of the country in terms of national and societal responsibility
Army spokesman said the Armed Forces contribute, with their capabilities, to supporting the state’s efforts in the comprehensive development, whether infrastructure projects, developing slum areas, establishing residential cities in a number of governorates, establishing a number of water desalination plants, and establishing and developing a large number of hospitals and medical centres.
“This comprehensive development also includes the establishment of advanced road networks and giving special priority to implementing development projects in the governorates of North and South Sinai, the governorate of the South Valley, and border areas, in a way that helps develop these governorates and attract investment to them, in addition to participating in the Decent Life Initiative to develop the Egyptian countryside, all of this through its supervision of national companies/consulting offices that help provide new job opportunities,” Col Gharib said.
“The Armed Forces also contribute to improving the social and living conditions of citizens in the Sinai Peninsula, as the Armed Forces were assigned as of 6/30/2014 to implement more than 443 projects to serve all areas of comprehensive development,” he added.
He said the Armed Forces are constantly keen on communicating with the media and respond to inquiries and refute rumours, believing in the purposeful role of national media.
He called on all media outlets to refer to the official sources through the official military spokesman for the Armed Forces.
“The sacrifices and sincere national efforts made by the heroes of the Armed Forces will continue to be a source of pride and appreciation for all the Egyptian people,” Col Gharib said.
“We pledge to God that we will remain loyal and faithful to Egypt and its people in the light of the efforts of the political leadership to build the modern state so that Egypt can ascend to the position it deserves regionally and internationally,” he added.
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