EL ARISH, Egypt (AP) — On a rare tour organized for reporters, Egyptian officials showed off signs of normalcy in the northern Sinai Peninsula city of el-Arish, saying they prove an offensive against militants launched earlier this year has succeeded.
The carefully scripted trip included visits to an indoor arena packed with thousands of screaming schoolchildren, a new housing project, a school and a factory. No one is claiming the militants have been defeated, but there have been no major attacks for several months, save for a recent ambush of buses carrying Christian pilgrims to a remote desert monastery south of Cairo that left seven dead.
But in el-Arish and the surrounding deserts, the signs of war are difficult to miss, particularly the enormous security presence.