Seven killed in North Sinai by suicide bomber aged 15

CAIRO - 9 April 2019: A security force, which was patrolling the market area in North Sinai’s Sheikh Zowayed, was targeted by a 15-year-old suicide bomber resulting in the death of two police officers, two policemen, and three citizens including a six-year-old child.

That is in addition to 26 injuries among civilians who were transferred to the hospital to receive treatment.

In February, eight terrorists were killed in North Sinai by the Egyptian Armed Forces, and two car bombs destroyed.

Terrorists in North Sinai attacked a force concentration earlier in the same month. The fire exchange resulted in the death of seven terrorists, and 14 injuries and casualties among military personnel.

The Armed Forces launched an anti-terror campaign in February 2018 to eliminate terrorism in North Sinai after a mosque was targeted resulting in the death of more than 300 civilians. “The Comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018” has succeeded to eliminate hundreds of terrorists confiscating the firearms and explosive devices they possessed and destroying the vehicles they used.

Police forces, also taking part in the Comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018, had killed seven terrorists in Arish earlier in February. Five others were killed in a raid that took place a month earlier in the same city.

In January, the Egyptian Air Forces eliminated a number of terrorist elements, including two prominent leaders in North Sinai. Also, military and police forces eliminated a number of 59 "takfiri" elements, including 15 "highly dangerous" terrorists.

In the same month, six terrorists were killed in a fire exchange with Egyptian security forces in a mountainous area near Sohag-Asyut Desert road.

On December 29, security forces killed 40 terrorists in fire exchange as part of a crackdown on terrorist hideouts in Giza and North Sinai governorates.

A total of 24 dangerous takfiris were killed in different operations by the Armed Forces, while 403 suspects and criminals were arrested, according to the 30th statement of the Comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018 released earlier in December.

The Egyptian security forces destroyed 342 terrorist hideouts in Central and North Sinai, where explosives and motorcycles were found. Four tunnels were destroyed in North Sinai and some 344 explosive devices were detected and eliminated on the route of the forces.

Thousands of bullets, thousands of kilos of drugs, dozens of vehicles used by terrorists, and tons of rocks mixed with gold were seized.

A total of 2,833 people of different nationalities were apprehended at the borders while attempting to infiltrate.