Egypt's Sisi asks for US help in fighting terrorism

Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the general who ousted an elected Islamist president and is set to become Egypt's next head of state, called on the United States to help fight jihadi terrorism to avoid the creation of new Afghanistans in the Middle East.

Asked what message he has for US President Barack Obama, Sisi said: "We are fighting a war against terrorism."

"The Egyptian army is undertaking major operations in the Sinai so it is not transformed into a base for terrorism that will threaten its neighbours and make Egypt unstable. If Egypt is unstable then the entire region is unstable," said Sisi. "We need American support to fight terrorism, we need American equipment to use to combat terrorism." (Reuters)