(AFP Photo)
Fourteen militants were killed and 45 others arrested during military operations in the restive Sinai Peninsula between 18 and 20 December, according to a Sunday statement by the military spokesman.
The statement said that out of the 45 arrested, five were on wanted lists and the remaining 40 are suspects.
The Armed Forces are launching military operations with the aim to “ultimately eliminate terrorism”, particularly in North Sinai.
“State of Sinai”, the militant group formerly known as Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, has claimed many of the attacks that took place in Sinai in the past year. This includes multiple attacks on 24 October, that killed at least 30 security personnel.
Since then, the government imposed heightened security measures on North Sinai, including a closure of the Egypt- Gaza border crossing (with a few recent exceptions). It has also meant the forcible relocation of residents living along the border, in an effort to destroy the tunnels connecting Rafah to the Gaza Strip. Out of 802 demolished houses in the area, more than 80 were found to have smuggling tunnels inside them, according to the Armed Forces.
A 14-hour curfew was also imposed as part of the security measures, though President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi agreed earlier in December to reduce the number of curfew hours to 11.
