Egyptian military forces killed 89 suspected terrorists in Sinai

Egypt’s military said on Sunday it has killed 89 suspected insurgents in operations in North Sinai, where an affiliate of the Islamic State (ISIS) group has been active for nearly a decade, AFP reports.

“Amid ongoing efforts in pursuing and defeating terrorist elements… during the previous period, the armed forces… carried out operations that killed 89 dangerous takfiris… in northern Sinai,” the army spokesperson said.

His statement, using the term “takfiri” to refer to extremist Islamists, did not specify a timeframe for the operations, but said the army had suffered eight casualties.

The army also said it destroyed 404 improvised explosive devices (IEDs), four explosive belts and 13 tunnels used by militants to infiltrate Egyptian territory.

Egypt has been fighting an insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula for several years, which at times has spilled over into other parts of the country. Most of the attacks during this time period have been claimed by the Sinai Province, the ISIS affiliate in Egypt.

The country has been under a state of emergency since April of 2018, after two suicide bombings at churches claimed by ISIS killed at least 45 people in the cities of Tanta and Alexandria.

In February of 2018, Egypt launched operation “Sinai 2018” in an effort to rid the Sinai Peninsula of Islamic terrorists.

Sunday’s operation came a day after ISIS terrorists ambushed a checkpoint in the northern Sinai Peninsula, killing at least five troops from the security forces.

Source: INN