Egyptian Army soldiers patrol in an armored vehicle backed by a helicopter gunship during a sweep through villages in Sheikh Zuwayid, northern Sinai, Egypt (Photo: AP)
Army and police forces discovered Wednesday an underground field hospital set-up by alleged militants near the border with the Palestinian Gaza strip in the volatile northern Sinai, security officials told Aswat Masriya news website.
Equipped with medical and chirurgical tools, as well as a refrigerator containing blood bags, the hospital includes five rooms and two bathrooms.
According to the officials, the hospital, set-up in the Sheikh Zuwayed area, treated alleged militants waging an insurgency against the Egyptian state in the region.
Since Mohamed Morsi was deposed by the military early July, following mass nationwide protests calling for his ouster, militants have stepped up their attacks against security forces, especially in North Sinai, prompting the army to launch a major counter-insurgency operation in the region.
Officials also told Aswat Masriya that an arms warehouse was discovered in the North Sinai border town of Rafah, containing mortars, a number of rockets -- including RPGs -- four sniper rifles and two explosive belts.
Short link: