Sisi attends Armed Forces celebrations

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday attended the Armed Forces celebrations of October war victory in the presence of Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi.

Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, Minister of Defense and Military Production General Sedqi Sobhi, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Mahmoud Hegazi, Head of the Supreme Constitutional Court Adly Mansour, top state officials and delegations from the Arab countries attended the ceremony.

Former General Commander of the Armed Forces Field Marshal Mohammad Hussein Tantawi, wife of late president Anwar Al Sadat, sons of late president Gamal Abdel Nasser are also attending.

The ceremony started with playing the national anthem.

The ceremony, held at the Military Academy, started with an air show as planes carried the Egyptian flags, while a documentary was screened to review the military history of the Egyptian army.

A number of armed forces martyrs have been honored during the ceremony.

Children raised up the Egyptian flags and chanted national songs in honor of martyrs and heroes of the 1973 war victory.

The Armed Forces then reviewed the recent equipment that recently entered service in all branches of the army.

Army parachuters carried out air shows using the flags of Egypt and a number of Arab countries including UAE, Jordan, Algeria, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya and Morocco.

They showed their flying skills as maneuvers have been carried out by special operations teams at a height of 25,000 feets.

One of the parachuters carried a flag marking the 42nd anniversary of October war victory.

Shock troops appeared at the show ground in a four-helicopter formation as participants showed their physical ability and tactics of exercises in an unstable climate conditions.

Later, 1,500 fighters of students in the Non-Commissioned Officers Teaching Institute engaged in a fighting to show combat abilities and self defense skills.

Some combat teams also presented shows on the ability of personnel to cross military barricades set on fire and other exercises.

Addressing the ceremony, General Commander of the Armed Forces and Minister of Defense and Military Production General Sedqi Sobhi said the 6th of October battles have crystallized the greatest images of Arab solidarity from the coasts of the Altantic Ocean to the Gulf.

He saluted Arab leaders on the 42nd anniversary of October war victory.

Sobhi also sent greetings to Sinai residents whose predecessors offered great sacrifices during the difficult years of the Israeli occupation to Sinai and during October war battles.

He pledged that the Armed Forces will remain a supporter of Sinai residents in appreciation of the sacrifices by their successive generations.

The minister also praised the punctuality and commitment of the army ranks which are the backbone of security and safety of our homeland, asserting that the Armed Forces are actively contributing in all projects which are currently under construction in Egypt utilizing the expertise of its humanitarian and financial capabilities.

The minister promised that the Armed Forces would never halt efforts in carrying out all projects according to schedule and with high quality and performance rates.
Source: MENA