Sisi: el Mensi offered a lot to his country but Ashmawi betrayed his country

There is a big difference between those who sacrifice their lives for the sake of their countries and those who easily betray their homeland. Both Ahmed el Mensi and Hisham Ashmawi are officers who served in the same military unit but the first one understood the real meaning of the Egyptian State and offered a lot to his country while the second betrayed his country.

The President Abdel Fattah El Sisi stressed on Thursday that 1967 War never sapped the determination of Egyptians who worked hard to rebuild their Armed Forces.

Addressing the 29th cultural symposium of the Armed Forces, under the title of "October..Continuity of Generations", Sisi said the 1967 defeat was very bitter but we were determined not to give up.

Now, we are fighting another battle. It is the battle of terrorism but there is a big difference between the two battles. In the First battle, we knew our enemy and though our potentials were limited, we did not give up hope, Sisi said.

Despite the bitterence of the 1967 defeat, insufficient military capabilities in terms of quantities of weapons, and hard living conditions at that time, the Egyptians took the decision of war, Sisi said.

The 1973 Victory was a miracle by all measures given the big differences in the capabilities of our Armed Forces and the other side, Sisi said.

Casualties were estimated by thousands, forcing Israel to sign the peace treaty as they were convinced that if the Egyptians were able to achieve such a victory once, they can do it again, he added.

One thing I have in mind while I am talking about the circumstances surrounding the 1967 defeat and the 1973 victory is raising people's awareness of the challenges facing the State to stand behind its decisions and render them a success.

Egyptians' battles were not over by the 1937 victory as today we are fighting another battle. It is the battle against terrorism. But the enemy this time is hidden, Sisi said.

The enemy now lives among us and is trying to ruin the Egyptian State, Sisi said urging people from all walks of life to be fully aware of this reality and not to be deceived by sweet talk that is far away from the existing reality we are living in.

We have been fighting terrorism for six years now and the battle is not over yet. There is no need to worry but everyone has to be aware of this reality, he added.

Addressing the army, police, state bodies and Egyptian youth, Sisi said the battle is not over yet but tools are now different so we have to ask ourselves whether we are going to turn our back to Egypt or stand by it.

Even if we are facing tough conditions we should remember the hardships all Egyptians had to conquer from the time we were defeated in 1967 till we achieved victory in 1973.

Sisi urged Egyptians to be understanding of the real situation and true challenges facing the country and to be patient and not to be dragged behind those who are detached from reality and talking nonsense.

We are 100 million citizens and our budget is limited. These are our economic conditions and we can do nothing except work hard and be patient and persistent, Sisi said.

At the end, Sisi said all Egyptians, including army commanders, should be fully aware of the reality of the situation and should have a true image of what is going on the ground.

We need to remain united and intelligent enough to know that our enemy is now taking different shapes, he said.

There is a big difference between those who sacrifice their lives for the sake of their countries and those who easily betray their homeland. Both Ahmed el Mensi and Hisham Ashmawi are officers who served in the same military unit but the first one understood the real meaning of the Egyptian State and offered a lot to his country while the second betrayed his country.

Terrorist Ashmawi, who was expelled by the Egyptian army, was arrested by Libyan forces in the eastern Libyan town of Derna at dawn on Monday. His extradition will take place within a week.

He is wanted in Egypt for masterminding a string of terrorist attacks at home after the 2013 ousting former president Mohammad Morsi, including a failed attempt in September the same year to assassinate Egypt’s interior minister Mohammad Ibrahim.

The Armed Forces' seminars are held regularly under the auspices of the Army's Morale Affairs Department.