The official army spokesperson, Tamer al Rafaey, said Wednesday that army forces affiliated with the Second Filed Army launched an intensive sweeping operation to arrest militants based in North Sinai.
The operation led to the destruction of five 4-wheel vehicles and two stationing points for militants in North Sinai, in addition to targeting two stores of explosives.
Meanwhile, the statement noted that the assigned army forces managed to destroy a boat that tried to penetrate the sea, the operation led to the death of the people aboard the boat.
Since 2013, the Egyptian armed forces side by side with police forces have engaged in intensive military stand-offs with militants from the IS affiliated group of ‘Sinai Province,’ previously known as ‘Ansar Byat Al Maqdus.’
The group, that declared its affiliation to IS in 2014, considers the army and police forces as apostates who should be killed to pave the way for the establishment of the Caliphate state.
Recently, 40 ‘Sinai Province’ militants were killed in a shoot-out with battalion 103, affiliated to the Egyptian army special forces of ‘Al-Sa’aka,’ while trying to seize the headquarters. The confrontation led to the death of 26 army members.
