Security forces in Egypt have announced in a statement that the troops had engaged in gun battle with IS Takfiri in the northern Sinai Peninsula. The forces said that the hours-long altercation left 12 militants dead and several others seriously injured before they retreated.
Egyptian forces invaded a militant hideout in the northern city of al-Arish which has significant Islamic State presence that has been credited to the increased migration from the Middle East and Libya. Several improvised explosive devices were recovered in said hideout while at the same time a cache of weapons was recovered from the camp believed to have been enough firepower to launch a major attack.
Intelligence reports in recent weeks have shown a spike of Daesh attacks not only in Egypt but also in neighboring Sahel countries. Egypt has battled militants for years but the Sinai-based insurgency gained strength after the 2013 ouster of the country’s elected but discordant Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi. In February, Egypt launched a massive operation against militants in Sinai and elsewhere in the country. The counterinsurgency campaign has been making significant gains in rooting out terrorists and decapitating networks being establish by Daesh outfit in Africa’s Sahel.
