Military kills 2 and arrests 9 in North Sinai

A top source within the military said two "takfiri insurgents" were killed and nine others were arrested in a security operation in North-eastern Sinai on Wednesday.

The military’s counter-terrorism unit also detonated a car bomb in the same region, according to the state-owned Middle East News Agency (MENA).

Quoting the official spokesperson of the Egyptian Army, Colonel Ahmed Mohamed Ali, MENA reported that the operation aimed at flushing out “pockets of terrorism” near the town of Sheikh Zuwayed, resulting in the deaths of two individuals claimed to be terrorist “takfiris,” along with the arrest of nine others classified in the same way.

Takfiris believe that the Muslim ummah is weak because it has deviated from Islam, and classify all Muslims they consider non-practising as infidels, advocating armed struggle against such groups and individuals.

Ali also announced that 42 huts were burnt down in this security sweep, as they were allegedly being used to launch terrorist operations against security forces in the restive region located near the borders of Gaza and Israel. Police and Armed Forces have been fighting a low intensity insurgency in Northern Sinai for several years now.

According to Ali, security forces also discovered a pickup truck loaded with explosives on Wednesday morning, parked by the side of a highway, between the towns of Sheikh Zuwayed and Arish. The truck had been rigged with explosives and was intended to be detonated by a remote-controlled device to target security forces and their counter-insurgency in Sinai, he claimed.

Ali also said that security forces in Sinai had impounded five automobiles and 24 motorcycles, as they did not have the necessary license plates, or vehicle licenses.

The accuracy of the military’s media reports, especially from Northern Sinai, has been questioned by independent news sources. Some journalists covering this region have even been referred to military tribunals for their independent work and reports.