Leuitanent General Vincent Stewart, US Defense Intelligence Agency Director, has arrived to Cairo in an official visit for three days to discuss several issues including “counter terrorism”, according to a security source, reported al-Masry al-youm, an Egyptian independent newspaper.
A security source at Cairo airport, who preferred to remain anonymous, said that “Leuitanent General Vincent Stewart, the US Defense Intelligence Agency Director, has arrived in Cairo coming from the Jordanian capital Amman.”
He added, “He will discuss the developments in the region as well as the its changes and repercussions on both the regional and the international arenas.”
“During his visit that will last for three days, the American General will meet a number of Egyptian officials (unidentified) to enhance the common cooperation in the defense fields and counter-terrorism .”
On June 10, Stewart visited Cairo for two days and met Egypt’s Defense Minister Sedki Sobhy and Armed Forces Chief of Staff Mahmoud Hegazy.
The United States provides Egypt with $1.3 billion in military aid annually, with the 2016 package including $150 million in economic assistance.
Recently, Egypt received in May an initial shipment of 762 mine-resistant, ambush protected (MRAP) vehicles from the United States, which will be used in army operations in North Sinai.
The Egyptian armed forces are launching massive attacks against the Islamic insurgency in Sinai Peninsula. Sinai Province a group affiliated to ISIS carried several operations and attacks against Egyptian armed forces.
According to many observers , the US Egyptian relation will likely witness a flourishing alliance between Trump and al-Sisi military regime.Both leaders praised one another in various occasions.
In September 2016, when Trump met al-Sisi in New York, Trump praised Sisi’s efforts in his war on terror and stated that, if he were elected, the United States would be a friend to Egypt, not simply an ally.
In addition, this was followed by a promise to invite Sisi on an official state visit. In response, al-Sisi was quick to return the praise, stating that” Trump would be a strong president, one of the key points that Trump was using in his electoral platform.”
In addition, various leaders in the GOP (the Republican party is usually referred to as the Grand Old Party GOP)-including Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz- have praised al-Sisi “signaling the affinity between the Egyptian regime and Republican Party at a time when repression was rampant in Egypt. “
In the same context, Brookings Institution mentioned that,“Trump and his closest national security advisors want unconditional support for Muslim autocrats who have vowed to reform Islam to stop the violence. At the top of the list are President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi in Egypt and King Abdullah in Jordan, who have both said religious reform is a necessary prelude to defeating jihadism.”
