Armed Forces kill 3, arrest 54 in raids targeting alleged terrorists

The Armed Forces killed three people and arrested 54 other suspected terrorists in raids conducted from August 13 to 16 in North Sinai, Ismailia, Damietta and Daqahlia, military spokesperson Mohamed Samir announced on Sunday.

The arrests were conducted in Sheikh Zuwayed and Rafah, according to the statement posted on Samir’s official Facebook page. These areas have been subjected to several attacks on security personnel and state-owned facilities. Other suspects were arrested in Mansoura, Talka and 10th of Ramadan City, a suburban district on the Cairo-Ismailia Desert Road.

The military also confiscated several unlicensed cars and motorcycles that were allegedly going to be used in terror attacks in Arish, Rafah and Sheikh Zuwayed, the statement continued.

Other media reports claimed that the Armed Forces also seized three storehouses that were being used to smuggle goods through the tunnels between Rafah and the Gaza Strip.

In April, security forces killed three militants when they attacked a security checkpoint in Sheikh Zuwayed. The attack spurred a military raid that resulted in four arrests.

Last month, 22 soldiers were killed in a drive-by shooting on a military checkpoint in the southern city of Farafra in the New Valley. Security sources have said that the military has identified the assailants.