Security forces kill 11 terrorists in Arish

CAIRO – 10 September 2018: Eleven terrorists were killed on Monday at their hotbeds while exchanging fire with security forces in Arish, Northern Sinai.

In an official statement issued on Monday,the security forces were informed that some terrorists were hiding at an abandoned gas station in Gesr el-Wadi district, Arish to carry out terrorist attacks against the Armed Forces.

The statement added that the forces managed to seize five automatic rifles, many shots, rifle cartridges, and two explosive devices.

On July 3, Egypt’s Air Forces killed three takfiri elements and arrested 59 criminals and suspects in North and Central Sinai, as part of the “Comprehensive Operation - Sinai 2018,” the army said in an official statement.

Also on July 11, security forces managed to eliminate 11 takfiri elements after fire exchange, while raiding a terrorist hideout in Al-Arish’s Omran district, according to security sources.

Following the raid, the security forces could seize three machine guns, a cartridge firearm and two explosive devices possessed by the takfiris, according to the sources.
Egypt has been struggling for years to contain terrorist activities in Sinai.

Many military operations have been carried out by army and police forces, killing hundreds of militants and building a buffer zone along the border with Gaza, so that the Egyptian authorities can curb the flow of militants and weapons infiltrating through underground tunnels.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi authorized the army chief of staff to use “all brute force” against terrorism.

In February, the Egyptian Armed Forces launched a full-scale military operation titled "Sinai 2018" to confront terrorist elements in Sinai and other areas across the country. Military spokesman Tamer el-Rafei announced a major military operation to purge the country from terrorism.