Egyptian authorities have tightened security measures on Monday at the Ahmed Hamdi tunnel – connecting the eastern and the western banks of the Suez Canal – as terrorist groups are allegedly fleeing Sinai after deadly attacks by government forces, Al-Ahram’s Arabic news website reported.

About 300 policemen are participating in the heightened security operation.

The army has recently intensified its decade-long campaign against a jihadist insurgency in Sinai. Army periodic statements say Egyptian security forces have killed hundreds of militants in the northern part of Sinai.

The most prominent of the jihadist groups that have claimed responsibility for attacks in Sinai against army and police personnel is Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis which recently claimed allegiance to the Islamic State.

Last Tuesday marked the latest attack by militants against government targets in the Sinai Peninsula as an explosion struck a pipeline that carries gas to Jordan.