Egyptian army kills 19 jihadists in Sinai
The Egyptian military has announced that it has killed 19 suspected jihadists in the targeted ground and airborne operations as part of its action against the protracted rebellion in northern Sinai, Egypt.
According to a filmed statement on social media, the soldiers killed three “extremely dangerous” jihadists and 16 others in various air raids targeting their “terrorist shelters”.
On the side of the armed forces, the operation killed and injured “two officers, a commissioned officer, and two soldiers,” according to the same source, which provided no further details.
Security forces have been fighting an uprising in Sinai led by a local group affiliated to the Islamic State (IS) for years. After the impeachment of Islamic President Mohamed Morsi by the military in 2013, the intensity of the uprising increased.
In February 2018, the military launched a comprehensive “anti-terrorist operation” in the region, as well as in parts of the western desert, between the Nile Valley and the border with Libya.
Since its launch, nearly 970 suspected jihadists and dozens of soldiers have been killed, according to official statistics. However, no verified independent source report is available, and the region is largely closed to journalists.
