Six takfiri militants killed as Egyptian army attacks terrorist hideouts

Cairo: Six takfiri militants and two soldiers were killed as the Egyptian forces have begun rooting out terrorists in its campaign to avenge the last week’s deadly attack by the Islamic State that left 12 military personnel dead. Ground and air forces attacked the militant hideouts in seven areas on Tuesday and killed six takfiri militants during operations, military spokesperson Brigadier General Mohamed Samir said in a statement. Two soldiers were also killed during the army operations. 16 shelters, two vehicles and ten motorcycles belonging to the terrorists were also destroyed, he said. [caption id=“attachment_3059746” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. AP[/caption] The statement did not mention the exact places where the yesterday’s operations took place, however the campaign, launched by the army on Sunday in which terrorists 18 takrifi militants were killed, was targetted at terrorists and outlaw elements from several areas in the North and Central Sinai region. The operations are part of the second comprehensive campaign launched by the army in retaliation for the Friday’s terror attack. The first comprehensive campaign of “Martyr’s Right” that aimed at rooting out militants based in the restive North Sinai region. “Martyr’s Right” was launched by the security forces in response to an attack in October 2014 that killed 33 security personnel. Egypt has witnessed a series of terrorist attacks targeting policemen, judges and military personnel in different parts of the country. Since the 2011 revolution that toppled the regime of then President Hosni Mubarak, North Sinai, which is the base of a number of extremist outlaw groups, became the main stage of many violent attacks by Takfiri gunmen. Over 700 security personnel have been reported killed since then. The military has launched security campaigns in the area, arrested suspects and demolished houses that belong to terrorists, including those facilitating tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip.