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UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi says Islamic extremists must not be allowed to abuse Islam and called for intensifying efforts to fight them.
In a speech at the United Nations General Assembly Wednesday, he described terrorism as a plague.
It is imperative, he said that the world intensifies cooperation and coordination to end the support for organizations.
Egypt is not among Arab nations that joined the U.S. in airstrikes targeting the Islamic State group in Syria this week.
In his speech, el-Sissi pledged to build a "new Egypt" that respects rights and freedoms.
The former army general has faced international criticism for his ouster last year of Egypt's first freely elected president and his ferocious crackdown on Islamists that has killed more than 1,000 and imprisoned some 20,000.
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