A statement released Sunday afternoon by the Egyptian armed forces reported large-scale successes in breaking up the smuggling of weapons and other illegal goods across Egypt’s borders.
The report claims that naval forces and border guards were involved in operations that apprehended 1,308 vehicles loaded with goods attempting to travel via the Karem Abu Salem border into Gaza.
On the Western desert border with Libya, the army apprehended numerous four-wheel-drive jeeps loaded with weapons and ammunition and thousands of boxes of cigarettes.
The army also reports arresting 149 individuals for attempting to migrate illegally and smuggle drugs.
The Egyptian army has been working to secure its borders with Libya and Gaza, seeing both as a source of instability due to militancy, smuggling and migration.
Since President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s ratification of the anti-terrorism law last week, it is now illegal for the media to use figures different from those published by the army on attacks or security operations against militants.
