Social media users have stated that the photos of destroyed trucks published on the Armed Forces’ official Facebook page, which a military spokesperson claims are evidence of the army’s operations against terrorists in Sinai, are in fact photos taken two years ago by the Jordanian armed forces.
The photos were posted on Monday along with a statement about the Armed Forces’ operations in the peninsula where clashes with the militant group “Sinai Province” are ongoing. The statement claimed that the photographed trucks were destroyed during air strikes by Egypt’s Air Force.
Daily News Egypt verified the original source of the photos and found that they were originally published via the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya news outlet with an official statement issued by the Jordanian armed forces in 2014. After this was brought to light, the military spokesperson deleted the photos.
The photos are still available on Al-Arabiya’s website. “Jordanian air forces destroyed a number of trucks that were trying to cross the Syrian-Jordanian border,” the story read.
It added that, according to a statement issued by the Jordanian armed forces, the drivers of these trucks refused to stop after warning shots were fired, so troops targeted them immediately.
The Egyptian army spokesperson’s statement about the photos indicated that troops from the Third Field Army were ordered to arrest several militants who had planted 30 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) north of Mount Halal to target moving army and police patrols. The spokesperson alleged that troops destroyed three trucks and killed 13 terrorists who opened fire against them during the campaign.
Sinai has become the scene of frequent clashes between militants and state security forces, which has led to the launch of intensified counter insurgency operations to curb militancy inside Sinai. These operations have imposed a state of emergency in the northern regions of the peninsula.
