The Egyptian parliament approved on Tuesday a three-month extension of an already-imposed state of emergency due to security challenges facing the country, a member of the parliament said.

The parliament approved a presidential decree to extend the emergency state by another three months, starting from Jan. 27, Mohamed Abou Hamid told Xinhua.

Under the decree, military and police personnel should take necessary measures to face terrorism and maintain security across the country.

The state of emergency was first imposed in April 2017 after two church bombings killed 47 people. It has been continued since then.

Egypt's security forces have been fighting terrorist groups concentrated in North Sinai and launched a major operation in the remote region in February 2018.

“Extending the state of emergency provides concerned executive institutions with the legal tools for fighting terrorism,” Abou Hamid said, noting that all the parliament's members have voted for the decision.

Under the Egyptian constitution, presidential decisions to renew emergency state must be approved by the parliament.