21 terrorists killed in fire exchanges with police forces in North Sinai

CAIRO – 23 May 2020: The Ministry of Interior announced the killing of 21 terrorists and the injury of 2 officers in North Sinai in fire exchanges between the terror elements and police forces on Saturday while the latter were storming into their hideouts.

One of the hideouts was a farm where they were training and planning to execute hostile operations. The other was a house in Beir al-Abd town where they were preparing to carry out terror attacks in Eid Al Fitr taking place on May 24-26.

Police forces raided both hideouts in parallel killing 14 elements in the farm, and 7 elements in the house. The forces found, in the former, 13 machine guns, 3 explosives, an explosive belt, and a walkie talkie, and in the latter, 4 machine guns, 2 explosives, and an explosive belt.

The Egyptian Armed Forces managed to kill seven “takfiri” elements (terrorists) during a raid in North Sinai, the military spokesman said on May 23, two weeks after he reported the death and injury of eight soldiers and two officers in the governorate.

One of the elements were killed during the raid, Spokesman Tamer Al-Refae said, while six others were killed in a hideout while attempting to escape.

The forces also managed to seize and detonate 10 explosive devices and four explosive belts.

Also, three automatic and sniper rifles, three pistols, 21 firearm magazines were seized during the military operation.

The Egyptian Armed Forces earlier in May said 126 “takfiris” were killed in 22 raids and 12 operations carried out by the army and police forces in Central and North Sinai.

Also, four officers, three non-commissioned officers and eight soldiers were either killed or injured during the operations, the statement noted, without specifying the exact number of deaths.

In a statement, the Armed Forces said it could seize a number of weapons and explosive belts, which were possessed by the eliminated terrorists.

The army also found and detonate 630 explosive devices that were planted to target the armed forces. The opening of eight tunnels were also discovered and destroyed.

Also, the Air Force managed to destroy 228 hideouts that belonged to terrorists and 116 four-wheel drive vehicles, the statement added.