An Egyptian army brigadier general was shot dead Friday afternoon in El-Arish in North Sinai, a military spokesman said.

In a statement Friday evening, the army spokesman said that three militants opened fire on Hesham Mahmoud after Friday prayers in front of his house.

Last Saturday, the army said that over the weekend six militants and four armed forces personnel were killed in North Sinai amid ongoing security operations against militants in El-Arish, Rafah and Sheikh Zuwaid.

Egypt’s army launched a new security campaign two weeks ago against Islamist militants in North Sinai, killing over 50 in response to a militant attack three weeks ago that killed 12 soldiers and injured six others.

Last month, Adel Rajaei, an Egyptian military brigadier general who had previously served in North Sinai, was shot dead in front of his house on the outskirts of Cairo.

In mid-October, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi extended a state of emergency in designated areas of the North Sinai governorate for three months, starting 31 October.

A state of emergency was originally declared in certain areas of the restive province in August 2013, and has been consecutively renewed ever since.

https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/247322.aspx