Egypt army says dozens of insurgents killed in restive Sinai

"Amid ongoing efforts in pursuing and defeating terrorist elements ... during the previous period, the armed forces ... carried out operations that killed 89 dangerous takfiris (militants) ... in northern Sinai," the army spokesperson says.

Military forces are seen in North Sinai, Egypt, December 1, 2017.
Reuters

Military forces are seen in North Sinai, Egypt, December 1, 2017.

Egypt's military has killed 89 suspected insurgents in operations in North Sinai, a region where an affiliate of Daesh terrorist group has been active for nearly a decade, according to the military.

"Amid ongoing efforts in pursuing and defeating terrorist elements ... during the previous period, the armed forces ... carried out operations that killed 89 dangerous takfiris ... in northern Sinai," the army spokesperson said.

His statement, using the term "takfiri" to refer to militants, did not specify a timeframe for the operations, but said the army had suffered eight casualties.

The army also said it destroyed 404 improvised explosive devices (IEDs), four explosive belts and 13 tunnels used by militants to infiltrate Egyptian territory.

Gruesome pictures of some of the slain suspected militants were published with the statement, along with a trove of confiscated weapons.

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Nationwide operations

Egyptian forces have for years fought an insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula, led mainly by the local branch of Daesh.

Attacks have multiplied since the army's 2013 ouster of Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood.

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Since February 2018, the authorities have been conducting a nationwide operation against militants, mainly focused on North Sinai and the country's Western Desert.

Around 1,060 suspected militants and dozens of security personnel have been killed in the Sinai, according to official figures.

No independently-sourced death toll is available as North Sinai is off-limits to journalists.

READ MORE: Sinai bomb causes at least 10 casualties among troops - Egypt

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