CAIRO: The Egyptian armed forces killed 29 suspected militants Monday morning during raids carried out in North Sinai, said military spokesperson Mohamed Samir.
In a televised statement, Samir said the raids are part of “The Right of the Martyr,” a massive military operation launched late Sunday targeting militant groups in North Sinai’s restive cities of Arish, Sheikh Zuwayed and Rafah.
According to the statement, “an army officer and a conscript were killed along with four others who were injured after an armored vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in Rafah Monday.”
A large number of vehicles and arms used by militants in their attacks against army were also destroyed, said the statement.
Egypt has witnessed a significant rise in terrorist attacks since the military-backed ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 following mass protests against his rule. According to the Interior Ministry, militant attacks have killed more than 500 security personnel since then.
In January, President Abdel-Fatah al-Sisi created a unified military command for east of the Suez Canal, led by General Osama Askar, to combat terrorism.