El-Sissi: Egypt ready to join terror fight President speaks on Islamic State threat Hamza Hendawi Ian Phillips And Lee Keath CAIRO Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi is feeling vindicated by the worlds alarm over Islamic extremism that is fueling wars and bloodshed across the Middle East. The former army general has faced widespread international criticism for his ouster last year of Egypts first freely elected president and his ferocious crackdown on Islamists that has killed more than 1,000 and imprisoned more than 20,000.