Egypt: 10 Daesh Militants Killed in Gunfight

Local Editor

Egyptian security forces killed 10 militants linked to the Takfiri Daesh [Arabic acronym for "ISIS" / "ISIL"] group during a raid Friday on one of their hideouts in the Sinai Peninsula, the interior ministry said.

Members of the group opened fire at the security forces as they approached the hideout in an abandoned house in the North Sinai provincial capital of El-Arish, a ministry statement said.

The gunmen were linked to a militant leader from Ansar Beit al-Maqdis who formed groups that attacked security forces, the ministry said.

Ansar Beit al-Maqdis is the name used by the group before it pledged allegiance to the Takfiri Daesh terror organization in November 2014.

The attacks include a car bombing on Monday at a checkpoint near al-Arish that killed eight policemen and a civilian, the ministry said.

The group also assassinated two other policemen, and kidnapped and killed an engineer, the ministry said.

Daesh claimed responsibility for the checkpoint attack on Tuesday, during which the interior ministry said the police shot dead five assailants.

The Takfiri militants had killed hundreds of soldiers and policemen since the military overthrow of Brotherhood president Mohammad Morsi in 2013 unleashed a bloody crackdown on his supporters.

Most of the attacks had taken place in the north of the Sinai Peninsula, though attacks had reached Cairo.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team