President Trump Condemns Deadly Church Bombings In Egypt

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Citing Health Minister Ahmed Emad, ON TV news channel reported at least 18 people, including police personnel, were killed and 41 injured in the suicide attack in Alexandria.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi declared a three-month state of emergency following Sunday's terror attacks on two separate churches. The second struck outside Saint Mark's church in Alexandria, killing 17 people after a suicide bomber was prevented from entering the building.

"Everyone is falling short. the government, the people. nothing is good", Adly added, expressing anger at what she said was the state's failure to keep them safe on one of their holiest days.

Sunday's bombings came almost four months after a suicide bomber killed 23 people in a Coptic Orthodox cathedral in Cairo.

Heartbreaking photos show mourners weeping over coffins of their loved ones during a memorial service at a Coptic Christian Church in Egypt.

The US State Department also issued a rebuke, calling the bombings "barbaric attacks on Christian places of worship".

"The state of emergency allows both the armed forces and the police to execute those procedures necessary to combat the threats of terrorism and its financing, maintain security around the country and protect public and private property, as well as preserving the lives of citizens", the statement read.

US envoy Rex Tillerson meets President Putin in Moscow
Joseph Votel, the commander of all USA forces in the Middle East, declined to connect Russian Federation to the attack. Last week, Trump ordered a cruise missile strike after an alleged chemical attack conducted by the Syrian regime.

"ISIS are deeply sectarian, that's nothing new, but they have made a decision to re-emphasise that aspect in Egypt over the past few months", said H.A. Hellyer, senior non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council and the Royal United Services Institute.

"With the sadness and mourning, we must unite our forces against the axis of evil and terrorism with an iron fist". Hundreds of Egyptians attended the funerals to pay respect for the women's sacrifices, according to Ahram Arabic website. The Catholic community in Egypt numbers about 272,000, less than 0.5 percent of the population. "The status quo of media and press freedoms is ideal for the security authorities to work without much noise".

Joe Stork of Human Rights Watch said el-Sissi "seems to think that more repression of all Egyptians is the simple answer to terrorist attacks". In February, scores of Christian families and students fled Egypt's North Sinai province after a spate of targeted killings.

Southern Sinai, which has seen little of the violence plaguing the northern part of the peninsula, is a popular tourist destination.

"This whole thing is to cause sectarian strife", said Mona Makram, a former parliamentarian from a prominent Coptic family.

The bombings came on the Sunday before Easter, the day that marks the start of Holy Week for Christians.

The rocket hit a greenhouse in the community of Yuval, near the Egyptian border.

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