Military officer killed in North Sinai

An army officer was killed in armed clashes between troops and militants in Rafah, North Sinai, the independent Aswat Masreya portal reported on Tuesday.

A military source told the portal that an exchange of fire in the village of Hussaynat, south of Rafah, led to the officer's death.

Clashes came amid stepped-up operations by the military in North Sinai, after two officers were killed on Friday. Brigadier General Mohamed Selmy, one of few police officers of Bedouin descent, was killed in the Sheikh Zuwayed area of North Sinai, alongside Brigadier General Amro Fathy, an army officer. The two were on their way home in a pick up truck when armed attackers opened fire on them in a drive-by shooting. Sources in Sinai said that the relatives of Selmy, who hails from the major Sawarka tribe, gathered around his house following his death and vowed to take revenge.

The military spokesperson Mohamed Samir said on his Facebook page that the recent operation in Sinai had managed to hit important focal points for terrorist activity, killing seven militants, and injuring five others in the Mahdeya village in North Sinai. Five suspects were arrested and five motorbikes were destroyed that were suspected to have been used by militants.

The Armed Forces have engaged in several operations over the last year, in the wake of increased militant activity targeting security forces personnel and property across the country.