10 suspected militants killed in North Sinai – military sources

Security forces shelled different areas of North Sinai on Friday, killing 10 people believed to belong to the Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis militant group, military sources said.

Security forces tracked a “cell” belonging to Ansar east of al-Arish city, and received information about a meeting for other members of the group in Sheikh Zuweid. Both gatherings were separately shelled, the sources said.

Clashes also occurred between security forces and armed men near the Rafah border crossing, the sources said, leaving one killed and two more injured.

Militancy inside Egypt has seen a significant rise since the military ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Mursi in July 2013, which was prompted by mass protests against his rule. Most attacks occur in North Sinai, targeting security forces. The attacks have left hundreds of security personnel killed.

The Sinai-based Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis is Egypt’s most active militant group, having claimed responsibility for the majority of militant attacks in the peninsula. The group pledged allegiance to the Islamic State fighters in Syria and Iraq last November, changing its name to Sinai Province.

The armed forces has launched an intensified crackdown in the Sinai Peninsula in response to the militancy.

The military spokesman had earlier said that a total of 141 suspected militants have been killed in North Sinai in May.

Source : aswatmasriya