Egypt’s Interior Ministry said on Tuesday that 11 militants were killed another six arrested in a shootout with police forces during a raid in Ismailia Governorate aiming to arrest a group of militant leaders with links to North Sinai.
According to a statement released by the Interior Ministry, the raid was launched after information was obtained by the National Security Apparatus (NSA) suggesting that militants were operating out of areas in Ismailia and 10th of Ramadan.
The militant leaders are responsible for having provided logistical support to militants based in North Sinai targeting security forces and Coptic Christians, the statement added.
The raid resulted in the arrest of six as of yet unidentified individuals and the death of another 11 during an exchange of fire between the two sides.
Among the finds that the police made on the scene was a number of wireless communication apparatuses, the statement went on to say.
Egypt has been battling a violent Islamist insurgency mostly in North Sinai that gained traction in 2013 following the overthrow of Muslim Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsi. The insurgents pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in late 2014.
