![Military commanders and community leaders celebrate the opening of four new schools in North and Central Sinai. [Photo courtesy of the Egyptian Ministry of Defence's Department of Morale Affairs]](/cnmi_am/images/2018/10/25/15082-Sinai-new-school-700_496.webp)
The ultimate goal of Egypt's Operation Sinai 2018, beyond removing extremist groups such as the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) from the peninsula, is to restore normal life and enable development activity to go forward.
As Egyptian forces make progress with the military aspect of the operation, the other goals are beginning to be addressed, including, most recently, the opening of four new elementary schools in the peninsula.
On October 18th, military spokesman Tamer al-Rifaie announced the opening of four schools in North and Central Sinai to serve Bedouin communities and remote villages as part of the government's plan to achieve comprehensive development.
Two elementary schools will serve the villages of al-Jarir and al-Rawda in North Sinai's Bir al-Abed area, al-Rifaie said in a statement.
![Egyptian military personnel speak with teachers and students in the classroom of a new school in Sinai, one of four that opened this month. [Photo courtesy of the Egyptian Ministry of Defence's Department of Morale Affairs]](/cnmi_am/images/2018/10/25/15083-Sinai-school-opening-700_496.webp)
Egyptian military personnel speak with teachers and students in the classroom of a new school in Sinai, one of four that opened this month. [Photo courtesy of the Egyptian Ministry of Defence's Department of Morale Affairs]
![Students and teachers pose for a photograph during the official opening of a new school in Sinai that will serve villagers and the local Bedouin population. [Photo courtesy of the Egyptian Ministry of Defence's Department of Morale Affairs]](/cnmi_am/images/2018/10/25/15084-Students-Sinai-schools-700_496.webp)
Students and teachers pose for a photograph during the official opening of a new school in Sinai that will serve villagers and the local Bedouin population. [Photo courtesy of the Egyptian Ministry of Defence's Department of Morale Affairs]
Another two elementary schools were opened in Nakhl city in Central Sinai, the statement said.
Each school comprises eight classrooms and is equipped with sports fields, a computer lab, a library, laboratories, rooms for school activities and fully furnished living quarters for expatriate teachers, al-Rifaie said.
The schools were opened as part of a plan "to provide security to citizens and root out extremism and terrorism in Sinai, in addition to providing basic needs and upgrading the level of services provided to Sinai residents", he said.
Safeguarding Sinai's civilians
Operation Sinai 2018 was launched February 9th with the aim of defeating extremist groups in Sinai, the Nile Delta and Egypt's Western Desert, with army and police forces and all government agencies taking part.
In addition to routing extremists, al-Rifaie told a regional media outlet on October 16th, the armed forces have been working to ensure civilian life in North and Central Sinai is not affected by the military operations.
The various security agencies provided security to ensure events such as the presidential election poll, the official standardised secondary school exams and the final university exams could proceed in safety, he said.
Thanks to the efforts of the armed forces in Sinai, he added, North Sinai schools were open for the start of the new school year, and life has returned to normal in most parts of that province.
Operation Sinai 2018 has proceeded at a steady pace in order to safeguard civilian lives, he added, noting that "the armed forces are committed to providing full protection to civilians and preserving human rights standards".
To that end, the Air Force has been striking extremist targets outside residential areas, he added.
Since its launch, the operation "has so far resulted in the elimination of 450 terrorists and destruction of more than 1,200 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and about 900 vehicles and 1,000 motorcycles", al-Rifaie said.
Paving the way for development
Since the launch of Operation Sinai 2018, the armed forces have worked towards a number of objectives, said Maj. Gen. Mohammed al-Shahawi, advisor to the Army Command and General Staff College.
Foremost among them are destroying the infrastructure of extremist groups, cutting off their supply routes, and targeting their methods of recruiting youth into their ranks, he told Al-Mashareq.
"The armed forces, in co-ordination with all other agencies as well as Sinai tribes, worked throughout the year to provide a safe life in Sinai and have succeeded in securing schools and government offices," he said.
These are "functioning without interruption, and providing all needs, including food commodities and services", he added.
The military operation is being carried out in conjunction with a strong plan to achieve comprehensive development in Sinai, he said, noting that ideological and developmental solutions are also needed if extremism is to be eliminated.
Operation Sinai 2018 aims to protect national security, said Maj. Gen. Samir Faraj, former director of the Ministry of Defence's Department of Morale Affairs.
In addition to preventing any plots that undermine stability, he told Al-Mashareq, it seeks to prevent any disruption to the political and economic development process.
