10 Servicemen of Egyptian Security Forces Killed in Sinai Anti-Terror Operation

Ten servicemen of the Egyptian Security Forces have been killed during a military operation in central Sinai.

The Egyptian Security Forces (Photo: AP)

Ten servicemen of the Egyptian Security Forces lost their lives, when their vehicle blew up on two self-made explosive devices during an anti-terror military operation in central Sinai, the Reuters news agency reported on Thursday, citing a military spokesman.

According to the spokesman, in the course of the special operation, aimed on a terrorist base in the peninsula, the Egyptian Security Forces managed to kill 15 militants and arrest seven others. The security forces also found and destroyed half a ton of TNT explosive and seized two vehicles, loaded with hand grenades and hundreds of mobile phones.

The Egyptian Armed Forces fight against militants in the sparsely populated governorate of North Sinai, where terrorists became active after the overthrow of former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, who was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood organization.

The group, fighting against the government, swore allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group and since 2014 is called the Islamic State of Sinai. They have killed hundreds of soldiers and policemen.

Since October 2014, after a deadly terrorist attack that claimed lives of 33 Egyptian soldiers, the Sinai Peninsula has been under a state of emergency.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi claims that terrorists pose a threat to the country’s existence.

Will remind, numerous terrorist groups, many of which are linked with the IS, operate in North Sinai province. The Egyptian government has mobilized 25,000 of soldiers and officers to combat them.