Egypt undergoes major security reshuffle

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi issued a decree on Saturday naming Lt. Gen. Mohamed Farid Hegazy the Egyptian military’s new chief of staff.
He replaces Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Hegazy, who was named presidential adviser for strategic planning and crisis management. Despite their common surname, the two are not related.
The Interior Ministry also announced the replacement of 11 of its security officials, some of whom were responsible for the Oct. 20 anti-terror raid in Al-Wahat, southwest of Cairo, in which 16 police officers were killed and 13 injured. 
Lt. Gen. Mohamed Farid Hegazy
These changes came after a meeting held by El-Sisi on Saturday for senior military and intelligence officials.
“The meeting addressed the country’s recent security events and reviewed efforts to fight terrorist groups, especially after the clashes that took place” in Al-Wahat, said presidential spokesman Alaa Youssef.
Retired Brig. Gen. Khaled Okasha said the timing of the reshuffle indicates a link to an assessment carried out after the incident in Al-Wahat.
“These changes aren’t meant to underestimate the officials’ efforts and their achievements in fighting terrorism in the past three years,” he said. “They’re meant to mark the beginning of a new phase of our war against terrorism, which will be different from what the region has witnessed since 2011.”
Daesh’s defeat in Syria and Iraq will force the entire region, and especially Egypt, to face a new challenge posed by the dispersal of militants, Okasha said, adding: “Libya remains the most suitable area for receiving Daesh militants.”
He said: “Facing these threats requires a more effective and flexible security strategy that includes promoting information exchange between security services that are combating terrorism in Egypt and across the region, in addition to building security partnerships.”
Mohamed Hegazy’s appointment came two days after Mahmoud Hegazy’s return from Washington, where he participated in a counterterrorism conference that brought together joint chiefs of staff from more than 70 countries.