Army kills another Sinai suspect

The Second Field Army killed a Sinai-based terrorism suspect on Monday night, military spokesperson Colonel Ahmed Mohamed Ali said on his official Facebook page Tuesday. 

The suspect, Selmy Mohamed Misbah, also known as Abou Khaled, was said by the state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper to belong to Ansar Beit al-Maqdes, a Sinai-based militant group that has claimed responsibility for a number of recent attacks on government targets. 

Abou Khaled was accused of involvement in the bloody August 2012 attack in Rafah, North Sinai, which saw 16 border guards killed. 

According to Ali, Abou Khaled was targeted by the army after it received information that he was planning to attack an Armed Forces checkpoint. He was followed while traveling on a motorbike on the way to this checkpoint. 

Ali added that 27 men suspected of belonging to militant groups were arrested in North Sinai. Thirteen buildings used by militants were also destroyed. 

Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Tuesday that the army will continue to collaborate with police “in the fight against terrorism and the purging of Sinai from militant activity, with the help of the people of Sinai.” He was speaking at a military training event.

Abou Khaled’s death follows the killing of Ahmed Ahmeid Sereeg, known as Abou Tartar, on December 14. Sereeg was also named in the media as being a member of Ansar Beit al-Maqdes.

Abou Tartar was killed by the army in the Sheikh Zuwayed area. He had earlier been named as among those who escaped from prison during the upheaval of the January 25, 2011 revolution. 

Militant groups have stepped up their activities in Sinai since the ouster of President and Muslim Brotherhood member Mohamed Morsi. It is noted, however, that attacks had been staged against government targets in the region before Morsi’s removal as well.

The military has been waging a campaign against militant groups, although details about how suspects are identified and targeted are scarce.