Six soldiers from the Central Security Forces (CSF) were reportedly killed on Saturday in Safaga, a town south of Hurghada, after their armoured vehicle drove over an old landmine, security sources in the Red Sea governorate told Daily News Egypt.
“The incident is not a terrorist act, a CSF armoured vehicle was on a desert patrol, where an old, undetonated landmine blew up,” security sources explained.
Initially, it was reported that five personnel were dead and four injured. They were immediately transferred to the military hospital in Hurghada, where one of the injured died.
Clashes between Egyptian Armed Forces and militant groups are centralised in the Sinai Peninsula, especially inside North Sinai governorate.
Army spokesperson Mohamed Samir said Friday that military forces in Sinai killed 60 militants and injured another 40 in clashes in Sheikh Zuweid and Rafah.
In a statement published on the spokesperson’s official Facebook page, he added that the operation was carried out with the co-operation of the Air Force.
The statement asserted that the raids targeted different positions believed to belong to the IS-affiliated group “Sinai Province”. The statement added that these strikes are part of the “Retribution for Martyrs” military operation which aims to eliminate Sinai of militants and extremists.
