Egypt says almost two dozen militants killed in raids in Sinai, Nile Delta

Ahram Online, Friday 10 Oct 2014

Another 36 were arrested in week-long offensives on militant hideouts in Sinai, Nile Delta and Suez cities

Egypt's troops have killed almost two dozen jihadist fighters during offensives on militant hideouts in several provinces, Egypt's army said in a statement on Friday.

Twenty-one Islamist insurgents were killed in shootouts with forces over the past week during assaults which took place between 3-10 October, military spokesperson Mohamed Samir said in a statement on Friday that was posted with photos of the slain.

Security forces arrested 36 militant suspects during the raids which were carried out in North Sinai, the Nile Delta's Daqahliya and the Suez Canal cities of Port Said and Ismailia.

Egypt has been rocked by a deadly Islamist insurrection, based in North Sinai, which has killed hundreds of police and military personnel and escalated since the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

The challenge to combat militant violence is compounded by the rise of Islamic State militants who have seized large territories of Syria and Iraq in June and declared a caliphate.

Egyptian officials are concerned the group has inspired or forged ties with militant groups in Egypt, including those based in the border Sinai Peninsula.

Egyptian officials have also voiced anxiety over a flow of weapons and infiltrating militants from neighbouring Libya, where a deadly militia rivalry has worsened over the past several months.

Short link: