The official spokesperson of Egypt’s Armed Forces released a statement on Tuesday providing updates on the ‘Comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018′, which seeks to eliminate terrorism in Egypt, saying 10 militants had been killed in the fifth day of the operation, and another 400 suspects have been arrested.
The statement, which is the sixth since the operation began, says that among the arrested suspects were foreign nationals. The suspects were arrested during sweeping operations in central and North Sinai.
Meawhile, the statement noted that the Air Forces destroyed seven vehicles that a number of militants were using to flee the army’s intensive operations.
Moreover, the statement asserted that another six vehicles and 13 motorbikes used by militants were destroyed.
Besides this, 143 stationing points were targeted, they contained improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other spare parts used for the militants’ vehicles.
Also, the statement stressed that police and army forces established 479 checkpoints on the main roads and other desert cities across all of Egypt’s cities and governorates.
The comprehensive Sinai operation was launched on Friday by different branches of Egypt’s security forces, including the Second and Third Field Armies located in Sinai, in response to the increasing terrorist threat in North Sinai.
An army source who preferred to remain anonymous told Egypt Independent on Sunday that “the number of forces that are participating in the ‘Comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018′ reached 35,000 [army personnel] with the support of Egypt’s Special Forces and police.”
The source added that “the operation aims to eliminate the presence of the Islamic State-affiliated (IS) group Sinai Province. The widespread [distribution] of the Egyptian Armed Forces in Sinai will leave no presence to a single militant.”
Since 2014, North Sinai has witnessed a growing number of terrorist attacks carried out by IS and its affiliated group the Sinai Province, including various attacks against the army and the police.
North Sinai-based state security has carried out large-scale security sweeps and military operations in response.
