105 takfiris killed during ‘Sinai 2018’: Army

CAIRO – 8 March 2018: The armed forces eliminated 105 takfiris (terrorists) and destroyed 472 explosive devices since the launch of Comprehensive Military Operation "Sinai 2018" in February, the military's spokesperson Tamer el-Refae announced on Thursday.

During a press conference on Thursday to review the outcomes of “Sinai 2018”, Refae highlighted that the sides of the Suez Canal waterway are tightly secured by the naval forces, adding that regular patrols have been intensified in the adjacent areas where more ambushes are already in place.

Refae also stated that the armed forces have compensated the affected families and communities. “The total volume of the compensations cost around 900 LE million.”

During the campaign, the armed forces intercepted 461 people trying to infiltrate across the Egyptian borders, seized and destroyed 157 terrorist-affiliated vehicles and 387 motorcycles, Refae said, adding that 19 armed forces officers were killed and 16 others were injured.

The military spokesman said that the personnel taking part in the campaign are divided into two groups; the first one includes security officers responsible for combing the agricultural and residential areas and thus detecting and destroying the terrorists’ underground infrastructure, including their whereabouts which can be found amongst residential blocks.

The other group is entrusted with destroying the terrorist strongholds in cooperation with the intelligence services, which track down the movement of the terrorists. This is besides the role that the military engineers are taking up concerning detecting and destroying mines and explosives.

Fifty-one tonnes of herbal narcotics and 2 million and 150 thousand drug pills were seized, and 116 feddans of mariguana were destroyed, he added.

Refae concluded by pleading with all media outlets to check the accuracy of the information they disseminate, confirming that the armed forces take full consideration of the human rights in its fight against terrorism and cooperates with the world’s countries in this regard.

Under the title "Comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018," Egypt's armed forces launched a comprehensive military operation targeting the hotbeds of terrorists in northern and central Sinai on Friday.

Sinai, in particular, has been a staging ground for militants operating in Egypt for decades. It is also believed to be home to the Islamic State’s Egyptian branch, which has been primarily targeting Christians and security forces.