People in Egypt have flooded social media in a show of solidarity after a deadly attack killed dozens of security officers in the Western Desert last Friday.
Facebook and Twitter have been inundated with photos of men and women saluting the fallen troops and police officers with the hashtag 'Salute our Troops'.
Popular Egyptian actor Asser Yassin launched the campaign by posting a photo with the hashtag and asking followers to share their salute.
His photo was accompanied by the caption: "We salute the heroes that sacrifice their lives for our safety. If the world chooses to turn a blind eye, we never will. Share your salute in their honor."
Fellow actor Tarek Sabri followed suit, prompting a plethora of prominent Egyptian figures - including musician Amr Mostafa - to post photos.
The nation's security forces suffered one of their heaviest attacks in recent years after suspected Islamist militants firing rockets and detonating explosives hit a police operation near the Bahariya Oasis on Friday, authorities said.
Three security sources said at least 52 police officers and conscripts had been killed in gun battles that erupted in the remote desert, but Egyptian authorities said only 16 men had died when their patrol came under attack.
Egyptian authorities on Saturday said two police operations were moving in on a suspected militant hideout on Friday when one of the patrols came under fire from heavy weapons in a remote area around 135 km southwest of Cairo.
Red marker points to location of the Bahariya Oasis, in Egypt’s Western Desert. (Google Maps) Source: Google Maps
The statement did not give details on any casualties in the other police patrol.
Egypt is fighting an Islamist insurgency in northern Sinai, in the north-eastern part of the country. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
- With Reuters
