Egypt opens new army base to counter 'hidden enemy'

World
Europe

By CGTN Africa

It was a massive celebration. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah eL-Sisi, the Crown Prince of UAE and many other representatives from Arab countries have attended the opening of a new army base, Mohamed Naguib.

Among the attendees was General Khalifa Haftar, the leader of the Libyan National Army, an ally to Cairo who's been working with Egypt to secure its border with Libya.

“We are opening today a new military site that represents what the Egyptian Armed forces have reached of development that matches the newest military bases in the world. The nature of wars has changed. Enemies are unseen, hiding and do not resort to direct engagement but they depend on terrorizing citizens. Terrorism is a complicated phenomenon. We have been patient for long with those countries that fund it and support it,” said Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the Egyptian president.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (C) rides a vehicle with Arab leaders Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain, Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, Governor of Makkah Region, General Khalifa Haftar, commander in the Libyan National Army, and members of the Egyptian military, at the opening of the Mohamed Najib military base at El Hammam City in the North Coast, in Marsa Matrouh, Egypt, July 22, 2017. /VCG Photo

“During the last three months, our army has struck around 300 vehicles coming in from Libya. That's around 100 smuggling vehicles monthly, 3-4 daily packed with arms, drugs, explosives or even terrorists. And that's just what the Armed forces detect, there should be more that we don't know about,” said Gamal Mazloum, a security expert.

The new base is 160km west of Alexandria, the biggest Egyptian coastal city. It has 1,155 buildings, nearly 1,600 acres of agricultural land for self-sustainability, and 72 military training battle fields.

It can accommodate Egypt's biggest ground troops; it has an air base and a naval fleet, making it a comprehensive Military facility – the largest in Egypt, the Middles East and probably Africa.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (R) arrives with Arab leaders Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed (C), Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and General Khalifa Haftar (L), commander in the Libyan National Army, and members of the Egyptian military, at the opening of the Mohamed Najib military base at El Hammam City in the North Coast, in Marsa Matrouh, Egypt, July 22, 2017. /VCG Photo‍

"This base is nearly at the center of the North Coast. It's a location with important strategic benefit. It would operate to curb the influx of human trafficking and illegal migration. If people manage to get through the Western border, this new base will act as a second defense line. And with Egypt's new helicopter Carriers it will serve as a fortress to the Mediterranean. It's also to solve many logistical challenges to move troops from Alexandria all the way to the Western Border," said Mazloum.

Mohamed Naguib is in Al Alamein City, once a battle zone during WWII. It's very close to Egypt's oil wells and to the site of Egypt's first Nuclear power plant in Al Dabaa City, which makes this new base strategically vital.

The base is named after the first Egyptian President in History, Army General Mohamed Naguib who led the 1952 Revolution on the 23rd of July. He was quickly deposed and remained under house arrest for the rest of his life. The new base, however, restores the name of this historical character making up for the past decades when his name was wiped out of history.