Egyptian soldiers have killed six armed extremists during a shootout in Sinai as part of a renewed effort in the battle against Islamist insurgents, according to an Armed Forces statement on Thursday.
A statement from military spokesperson Mohamed Samir said that police and army personnel raided 36 locations in Arish, Rafah and Sheikh Zuwayed that were used by insurgents to plan and conduct terrorist attacks.
Six insurgents were killed and four other suspects were arrested in the raids, while two machine guns and other weapons found, in addition to military uniforms.
The new wave of raids is part of the resumption of Operation Martyr's Right, the main anti-insurgent operation in the Sinai Peninsula. The current actions are being undertaken by soldiers from the Second and Third Field Armies, supported by police.
The raids also resulted in the destruction of four cars and 32 motorbikes used by extremists, in addition to a fuel store and a workshop for manufacturing weapons. Six bombs were found and defused.
Security troops have been engaged in a battle with insurgents in North and Central Sinai for the past three years. Among the main insurgent groups is Sinai Province, an organization linked to the Islamic State terrorist group.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
