Egypt cracks down on Sinai militants

Posted on Aug 8, 2012 in Top News | 0 comments

Egyptian military helicopters fired missiles at militants in the Sinai Wednesday killing at least 20 terrorists in an ongoing operation, officials said.

Terrorists fired anti-aircraft missiles at one of the Egyptian air force Apache helicopters operating in the area but missed. Several fighter jets and some 30 Egyptian armored cars as well as scores of soldiers are taking part in the crackdown on militants, the British daily The Guardian and the Arabic language Sky News said.

An unnamed Egyptian military official told reporters “20 terrorists were killed” in a missile attack in the village of Tumah, Albawaba.com said. Other air strikes were reported in the town of Sheikh Zuwaid.

“We heard the sound of an enormous explosion coming from the checkpoint, then we saw an armed group driving military tanks towards Karam Abu Salem crossing,” witnesses told The Daily News Egypt.

Tuesday night and early Wednesday, gunmen attacked three Egyptian military checkpoints in the Sinai, Egyptian media said. In the Sinai town of el-Arish, gunmen opened fire at Egyptian soldiers and police at checkpoints in the city, Ahram Online said. CNN said masked gunmen launched simultaneous attacks on five Egyptian security positions and a cement factory in North Sinai, wounding five security officers and a civilian.

The Egyptian daily al-Youm al-Sabah said soldiers searched homes looking for suspects involved in Sunday’s attack in which 16 Egyptian soldiers and border guards were killed when their base near Rafah was attacked.

The situation in the Sinai Peninsula has plunged into a state of lawlessness since last year’s uprising which led to the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak, Ahram Online said. It deteriorated even further following Sunday’s attack, the site said.

The London-based Arabic newspaper al-Hayat said Egyptian authorities said Sunday’s attackers were members of a Gaza based al-Qaida affiliated group known as the Army of Islam.

Copyright 2012 by United Press International