Sinai 2018: 16 terrorists killed and 34 arrested - Army Spox.

CAIRO – 11 February 2018: The Egyptian Armed Forces has killed 16 militants and arrested four others in the full-scale military – "Sinai 2018” – launched on Friday, said Armed Forces Spokesperson Tamer El Refa’i in a statement on Sunday.

30 suspected militants were also arrested.

The Air Force destroyed a total of 66 hideouts used by militants to carry out their attacks against military and police personnel, as well as against civilians, according to Refai.



The operation has been conducted by the Second and Third Field Armies, in cooperation with Air Force, Military Commando troops, Rapid Deployment Forces, and the Ministry of Interior.

Four ammunition stores were also destroyed; 13 four-wheel drive vehicles and 31 motorbikes were targeted, Refai continued. He stated that the army also defused 12 road-side bombs planted along roads used by military and security forces.

A chemical laboratory used by the militants to make explosives was raided by the Air Force in Sinai, he said, adding 20 feddans (approx. 20 acres) of marijuana were burned.

The Navy utilized its Mistral-class carriers to comb the Arish coast, in cooperation with the coastal guards, Refai said. The operation coincided with full-scale security measures taken nationwide, which have focused on enhancing security on Egypt's borders.

Major General Talaat Ahmed Moussa, a consultant at the Nasser Military Academy, told Egypt Today on Saturday that operation Sinai 2018 is being conducted on a notably “large-scale”; the operation is being carried out by all institutions and bodies affiliated with the Ministry of Defense.

“It is a knockout against the Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis militant group, the (banned) Muslim Brotherhood and other sleeping agents,” Moussa stated.