Bedouin tribe Al-Tarabin announced that eight alleged militants were killed in clashes with its members, while two tribesmen were injured.
According to a statement by Al-Tarabin, the militants belonged to “Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdis”, currently known as Sinai Province and affiliated to the Islamic State (IS) extremist group.
The clash between the two sides came after a woman was killed and her husband and two of her sons were kidnapped from Rafah on Monday by militants suspected to be from Sinai Province.
Tribe spokesperson Mousa Al-Delh said in a statement that “three 4×4s were observed in the Al-Agraa area in northern Rafah and were targeted. This sparked the gunfight between Al-Tarabin and the extremist group, resulting in the killing of eight extremists and the capturing of three others.”
The statement added that members of the tribe also arrested the alleged militant responsible for leading the Islamic police patrols in northern Rafah and Sheikh Zuweid.
Moreover, three days earlier, Al-Tarabin had burned one militant alive.
Egyptian military and security forces, as well as some Sinai tribes, have been battling in North Sinai for nearly four years against extremist militants affiliated with IS.
