Egypt’s armed forces said it killed 32 “takfiri” elements and arrested six others in a raid in North Sinai, according to an official statement issued Tuesday.
The raid was a continuation of the Egyptian army’s Martyr’s Right operation, which started in September aiming to rid the area of insurgents. It comes two days after the armed forces announced it had killed 26 other terrorists in North Sinai.
Army spokesperson Mohamed Samir said in a statement Tuesday that members of the Second and Third armies carried out the raids in Al-Arish, Rafah, Sheikh Zuweid, and Central Sinai on Monday.
Two cars and five motorbikes used by the terrorists were destroyed in the raid. The statement added that a number of explosives and weapons were also confiscated.
The raid took place the same day an Egyptian solider and civilian have been injured in a bomb attack in Al-Arish City, North Sinai when a roadside bomb detonated Monday. An armoured vehicle was passing near Al-Nasr Mosque in Central Sinai.
The victims were transferred to Al-Arish Military Hospital and Al-Arish General Hospital in North Sinai. Police forces have reportedly closed the roads near the bomb-site and have searched the area for possible additional explosives. Nearby shops and cars were damaged in the attack.
Similar attacks have targeted armoured vehicles in areas of known militia activity of North Sinai, killing and injuring dozens of Egyptian military forces.
Insurgents have intensified attacks in North Sinai since the ousting of former president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. The Islamic State (IS)-affiliated group known as “Sinai Province”, formerly known as Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks against security forces in North Sinai.
Their latest attack targeted Deputy Security Director of the North Sinai governorate Mostafa Al-Razaz on 20 December; however, he survived the attack when the bomb exploded seconds after his car passed the targeted area.
The province has become the scene of frequent clashes between the extra-state militants and the Egyptian armed forces, which has launched an intensified counter-insurgency campaign to curb militancy in the governorate. According to military’s records, hundreds of terrorists have been killed in the first and second phase of the Martyr’s Right operation.
