CAIRO: The Egyptian army announced it has killed 64 alleged Islamic State (IS) militants in North Sinai Saturday.
On Saturday, the sixth day of the “Martyr’s Right” military operation launched against Islamic State (IS) group in North Sinai, “security forces killed 64 militants in a fire exchange, arrested 22 suspects, destroyed five explosive warehouses in North Sinai,” military spokesperson Mohamed Samir stated Saturday.
A military officer and a conscript were killed while one conscript was injured in the offensive, he added.
In a Saturday statement, Samir announced a total of 98 suspected militants were killed and 13 bombs dismantled since the operation started Monday in North Sinai cities of Arish, Rafah and Sheikh Zuwayed.
Egypt has witnessed a significant rise in militancy 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.