CAIRO: The Egyptian army has killed not less than 70 suspected militants in a shoot out in North Sinai Friday, the state-owned MENA reported.
The security forces pursued and killed a number of “dangerous and high-profile militants” who were trying to escape after participating in the Wednesday simultaneous attacks on military and police targets in North Sinai and Sheikh Zuwayed that left dozens dead, security sources told Al-Ahram Friday.
The army has used mortars and helicopter gunships to pound and destroy the militants’ hideouts, the source said, adding that the army intends to expand its “proactive military operation” in Sinai until it achieves its objectives and the area is cleared of all “terrorist concentrations.”
In a statement of the armed forces aired on TV Wednesday, the army said more than 100 militants and 17 soldiers were killed during the simultaneous assaults on military checkpoints in North Sinai.
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.
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.