Five suspects were arrested in central Sinai as part of the third field army’s operations in the area, the military spokesperson said on Saturday.
The statement also said that the forces destroyed dens allegedly used by militants and cannabis farms.
Cannabis is a common plantation often used by smugglers and drug dealers. Almost every month, police and army forces announce they have confiscated and burned whole farms dedicated to this type of narcotics.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, a military funeral was held for an army Sergeant called Al-Sayed Etman, who was killed last Thursday in a checkpoint in Rafah.
No official statement has been published to confirm and report on the incident. It is not clear how Etman was killed as some local outlets reported that he was killed in a checkpoint. Other outlets said he was killed when he participated in a raid on some extremists.
The military and security forces have been fighting in North Sinai since 2013 against the extremist group “Sinai Province”, previously known as Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis. In 2014, the group declared its allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group and has launched deadly attacks on army and police checkpoints.
In a different context, communications returned to cities in North Sinai after 10 hours of being cut, a problem residents always complain of.
