Egyptian military forces killed 29 suspected militants in Northern Sinai this week “in light of the armed forces’ plan to overcome terrorism in the Sinai Peninsula”, a military statement said on Thursday.
The statement added that the military “targeted” and killed 11 “terrorists” in the North Sinai city of Al-Arish,whilethe suspected militants were allegedly meeting in their headquarters.
Military forces also killed 18 suspected militants in the North Sinai city of Sheikh Zuweid, the statement said.
The military arrested 18 more suspected militants and destroyed some of the materials the suspects allegedly used for attacks against the military.
Two police officers were killed Wednesday night when militants threw an improvised explosive device (IED) on a security checkpoint.
Last week, clashes between militants and security personnel in Al-Arish left at least 16 military personnel and 15 militants killed.
The Sinai-based militant group “State of Sinai”, formerly known as AnsarBeit Al-Maqdis, stated in an online statement afterwards that they had launched an attack on seven checkpoints on the Al-Arish-Rafah road, and killed “tens” of security personnel. They also claimed to have seized two military vehicles and weapons.
North Sinai, especially Al-Arish and Sheikh Zuweid, has been a battleground between security personnel and militants over the past year.
Reports from the area are limited to statements from the military and the militants themselves.
