CAIRO - Egypt's foreign minister will contact ambassadors posted in the country to request additional security support two days after some of the worst anti-state violence since Islamist President Mohamed Morsi's ouster last year.
At least 33 security personnel were killed on Friday in the Sinai Peninsula bordering Israel and Gaza, in an attack on a checkpoint that bore the marks of assaults claimed by Egypt's most active militant group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis.
In an e-mailed statement on Sunday, the foreign ministry called for support from the international community for "firm, decisive action by the government" to confront militants.
Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri was quoted by the state MENA news agency as saying he would reach out to foreign diplomats in Cairo to appeal for more support "politically and economically".