Terrorist cell eliminated in North Sinai: Army spokesperson

CAIRO – 19 July 2017: The armed forces eliminated a terrorist cell in North Sinai, Wednesday according to Army Spokesperson Tamer El-Refai.

He added in a statement that the law enforcement troops afflicted to the Second Field Army destroyed a number of four- wheel drive vehicles, two locations for the ‘terrorist elements’ and a factory for manufacturing explosive devices.

According to the statement the forces stopped a fast boat which tried to sneak into the Red Sea and cross the boarders without permission.

All the boat passengers were killed during the military operation, according to Refai.

On July 16, the armed forces affiliated to the third field army succeeded to kill three dangerous takfiris and arrested another during a shootout in a sweeping operation inside central Sinai.

Refai said in a statement that the army, in cooperation with the air forces, managed to destroy a vehicle loaded with weapons, bombs and five weapons’ depots affiliated to the takfiris.

Since 2013, state security forces, represented by both the army and the police, have been engaged in violent clashes with an Islamist insurgency in parts of the North Sinai governorate.

The Islamist insurgency has killed hundreds of Egyptian security forces, predominately in North Sinai. The army also announced it has killed hundreds of militants.