Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan met Sunday in his office with the elite counter-terrorism unit Yamam fighters who eliminated terrorist Nashat Milhem this past Friday in Arara in the north.
The meeting was attended by Police commissioner Roni Alsheich and Border Police Commander Amos Ya'akov.
“On behalf of all citizens of the State of Israel, I want to thank you on your rapid and determined action. You maintained a high level of vigilance and operation throughout the week and proved again that the Yamam is the best elite unit that we have, and one of the best in the world in the fight against terrorism," said Erdan.
''We see the period we live in, and Israel needs your professionalism and dedication. On behalf of the entire nation - I salute you,“ he added.
Commissioner Alsheich said at the meeting that "this large-scale operation which included the Israeli police was operated at high intensity to achieve one goal - to catch the perpetrator. Yamam’s actions deserve praise and proved once again that the security forces will catch all terrorist activities and fulfill their sentence.”
N., commander of the Yamam whose identity is protected, said that “the unit and its fighters have not stopped working since the attack. During the past few days we upturned every stone to find the terrorist. With perseverance, our forces searched house after house in accordance with the intelligence until the terrorist was found and neutralized. Our dorces responded exactly as expected - quickly, efficiently and professionally. We are proud to defend the people of Israel.”
At this stage Erdan has refused to release the terrorist's body for burial in Arara, in order to ensure that the funeral will be modest and limited rather than exploited in calls for support and incitement to terrorism against Jews.
