Six police conscripts were killed and six others injured on Tuesday in Qabr Omeir village near Sheikh Zuweid, North Sinai-based sources told Daily News Egypt on condition of anonymity.
The attack targeted a military checkpoint in the village. It was executed by militants who are believed to be members of “Sinai Province”, the sources clarified
Clashes between state security forces and Islamic State-affiliated militants are ongoing in North Sinai governorate and are usually centralised in the cities of Rafah, Sheikh Zuweid, and Al-Arish. Attacks against military forces are happening on an almost daily basis.
The Egyptian Armed Forces are continuing the third stage of Operation Martyr’s Right and 16 militants were killed over the past two days. Forces from the Second Field Army were able to manually de-weaponise 24 improvised explosive devices (IED), according to an official statement issued by a spokesperson.
“Forces from the Second Field Army, supported by the Air Force and the Navy succeeded in killing 16 terrorists over the past two days during checkpoint operations where they were stationed in Al-Arish, Rafah, and Sheikh Zuweid,” the statement read.
During checkpoint operations, the Armed Forces discovered several shelters and hiding places of militants that were also used to store weapons and other chemical substances frequently used to make IEDs. Meanwhile, members of parliament were invited by the Defence Minister Major General Sedki Sobhi to attend an inspection tour of a Third Field Army formation to check their readiness for fighting.
The parliamentary delegation praised the training and preparations of the troops and the success achieved so far in counter-terrorism operations, according to footage of the inspection tour published on the Armed Forces Facebook page on Monday evening.
North Sinai has been under a state of emergency since the term of interim president Adly Mansour, who came into office following Morsi. The state of emergency was last extended in January 2016.
