(AFP File Photo)
North Sinai tribes, notably Al-Tarabeen and Al-Sawarka, gathered Sunday at a conference to announce their stance against “Islamic State” affiliates in the region and their support for the Egyptian army, an Al-Sawarka tribal source told Daily News Egypt.
North Sinai has been witnessing high insurgency since the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. The armed forces are engaged in a war against militants of “State of Sinai”, formerly known as Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis.
The militant group is responsible for almost all the operations against security personnel in the area, with the highest rate of insurgency taking place in Rafah, Al-Arish and Sheikh Zuweid.
On Saturday, two policemen were killed in separate incidents. A similar incident took place on Friday, where two conscripts were killed after sustaining injuries.
The military spokesperson announced Saturday that a total of 725 suspected militants were killed during the six months between 25 October 2014 and late April.
Egypt has taken heightened security measures following two of the biggest attacks in North Sinai. The first was on 24 October and claimed the lives of at least 30 security personnel. The second was on 29 January, also killing more than 30 people. Both attacks were later claimed by “State of Sinai”.
The security measures that were undertaken included the creation of a 5 km buffer zone and a limited state of emergency curfew in certain areas in North Sinai. The curfew has been on-going in the area for more than six months now.
