Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi made an unannounced visit to the Sinai Peninsula Saturday to pay tribute to what he calls military "heroes" who are standing up to Islamic extremist violence.
Wearing army fatigues for the first time since stepping down as military chief and into the presidency, Mr. Sissi told the troops "to say that everything is under control is not enough. The situation is totally stable."
The Islamic State affiliate in Egypt, calling itself the Sinai Province, is claiming responsibility for most of the recent attacks on soldiers, police, and civilians on Sinai.
This includes Wednesday's massive terrorist strikes on Egyptian army checkpoints that reports said killed dozens of soldiers.
The army struck back, killing 100 militants.
Meanwhile, more violence on Sinai killed at least four civilians Saturday, including a child.