Fifteen alleged militants were killed during a fire exchange with Egyptian security forces in Al-Arish, North Sinai, according to the Interior Ministry.
The ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that it received reports that a number of alleged terrorist elements were planning to conduct a number of ‘hostile attacks’ during the country’s celebration of the 6th of October War anniversary next Saturday.
‘Security forces stormed a farm in Arish, where those terrorist elements were hiding and killed them,” read the statement, adding that five automatic firearms, explosive devices, and a large amount of ammunition were confiscated.
Since October 2014, a state of emergency has been imposed in the North Sinai. The governorate has been rocked by several terrorist attacks since 2013, targeting hundreds of security personnel, Christians, and even Sufi Muslims, mostly carried out by the Islamic State terrorist group’s branch in Sinai.
Last February, the military launched a comprehensive operation, dubbed ‘Sinai 2018’, to confront militants in central and North Sinai, the Nile Delta region, and the Western Desert.
