Major Mohamed al-Hayess, who had been kidnapped by assailants during an attack almost two weeks ago, was freed on Tuesday in a joint operation between the police and army forces on a militant hideout in al-Wahat al-Bahareya, in the Western Desert.
Hayess was reported missing after the Wahat incident when a police raid came under fire in the area. Hayess had been held as a hostage by the militants since that time.
The clashes took place 135 km from Cairo resulting in the death of at least 16 policemen and 15 militants, according to official figures.
Hayess was shot in the foot and was transferred to the Police Hospital in Agouza for treatment, top level security sources told al-Masry al-Youm on Tuesday.
The Facebook page of the spokesman for the Armed Forces said that freeing Hayess was part of police and army operation against “terrorists”, in which three four-wheel drive vehicles loaded with weapons, ammunition, and explosive materials were also destroyed.
https://www.facebook.com/EgyArmySpox/videos/1168158143315166/
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
