NO DATE FOR ENDING EGYPT’S SINAI OFFENSIVE

Cairo, 4 Muharram 1436/28 October 2014 (MINA) – Egyptian military sources said that no date had been set for ending a large-scale military operation in the Sinai Peninsula, launched following the death of 31 soldiers in a armed group attack.

“The operation will end when terrorist hotbeds are uprooted,” one of the sources told Anadolu Agency on Monday quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

The source said army troops would only target individuals who had links with “terrorist” organizations.

According to the source, the Egyptian army is “determined” to eliminate armed groups from the Sinai Peninsula, “no matter how long it takes.”

On Monday, Egypt sent military reinforcements to the Sinai Peninsula, including members of a highly-trained and well-equipped force.

Thirty-one Egyptian troops were killed last Friday and 31 others wounded in an armed attack by unidentified armed group in the restive peninsula, prompting authorities to declare a three-month state of emergency in the area.

Following the attack, the Egyptian media pointed the finger at the blockaded Gaza Strip next door – without producing any evidence to support its assertions.

Palestinian faction Hamas said Monday that it had found no evidence of involvement in the Sinai attack by anyone in Gaza. (T/P001/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)