Egypt’s military forces kill 11 militants in Sinai Peninsula

Africa, Middle East, News May 18, 2015 , by IRIA No Comments

Units of Egyptian ground forces, backed by the air force, have carried out separate operations in the violence-plagued Sinai Peninsula, where 11 militants were killed.

Security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the militants were killed during a firefight with the army soldiers as well as airstrikes conducted by fighter jets in the town of Sheikh Zuweid, located about 334 kilometers (214 miles) northeast of the capital, Cairo, on Monday.

The development came only two days after unidentified assailants fatally shot two judges and a prosecutor in the city of el-Arish. They came under attack while traveling from the northeastern city of Ismailia to el-Arish by car for a court hearing, according to police.

A state of emergency has been declared in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula since a militant attack on an Egyptian army checkpoint killed more than 30 soldiers in October 2014.

On May 10, Egyptian army spokesman Brigadier General Mohamed Samir said that in operations by the army at least “725 militants were killed during the period of October 25, 2014 to April 30, 2015 in the restive North Sinai cities.”

Samir added that 1,873 suspected and 206 wanted militants were detained, while 1,823 militant headquarters were ruined during the period.

The Egyptian military considers the Sinai Peninsula a safe haven for gunmen who use the region as a base for their “acts of terror.”

Since the ouster of Mohamed Morsi, the first democratically elected president, in July 2013, gunmen have launched terrorist attacks in Sinai.

Militants from Velayat Sinai, previously known as Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, have claimed responsibility for most of the attacks in the region. The group pledged allegiance to the ISIS terrorist group last November.