UK adds 2 Egyptian militant groups to terror list

CAIRO, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- British ambassador to Egypt John Casson said on Friday that his country has added two Egyptian militant groups to the list of proscribed terrorist organizations.

As part of its continuous efforts to fight international terrorism, Britain proscribed terrorist organizations Hasm and Liwa Al-Thawra, Casson said in a statement.

After reviewing evidence of attacks carried out by Hasm and Liwa Al-Thawra against Egyptian security personnel and public figures, the British government has concluded that these groups meet its criteria for proscription, he added.

"We said we will not leave Egypt alone in the frontline in its battle against terrorism and we meant it," he said.

This will strengthen joint efforts to uproot terrorism and the ideologies that feed it, Casson noted.

The two groups, which have claimed responsibility for dozens of anti-regime attacks, emerged late in 2016 and are designated by the Egyptian police as terror organizations.

Hasm is seen as the armed wing of outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

Egypt has been fighting against a wave of terrorism that killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the military toppled former President Mohammed Morsi in 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule and his currently blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood.

Terror attacks have been centered in North Sinai before spreading nationwide and targeting the Coptic minority, mostly claimed by a Sinai-based group loyal to the regional Islamic State (IS) militant group.

The Egyptian military and police have also killed hundreds of militants and arrested a similar number of suspects as part of the country's anti-terror war. Enditem