EGYPT KILLS 28, ARRESTS 16 MILITANTS IN SINAI

Egyptian police inspect cars at a checkpoint in North Sinai on January 31, 2015. © AFP — **Egyptian police inspect cars at a checkpoint in North Sinai on January 31, 2015.** (Photo; Press TV/AFP)

Cairo, 10 Jumadil Awwal 1436/1 March 2015 (MINA) – The Egyptian security forces have killed 28 militants and arrested 16 others following large-scale operations in North Sinai.

According to Egyptian sources on Sunday, the country’s army launched ground and aerial offensives on the militants positions in the south of Sheikh Zuweid and Rafah towns in Sinai, destroying their bases in the region.

Last week, the Egyptian aerial attacks on the violence-stricken region left 40 militants dead and 14 others injured, Press Tv quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

The Sinai Peninsula has long been considered a safe haven for gunmen who use the region as a base for militants bases.

Since the ouster of Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s former president, in July 2013, gunmen and armies have launched attacks and strike each other in Sinai.

Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, an al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group, has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks in the region. The group has recently pledged allegiance to the ISIS group and changed its name to Velayat Sinai.

On January 31, the group killed 30 people and injured dozens in a series of coordinated attacks in Sinai. (T/P007/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)