Military operation targeting suspects in Friday bombing results in 8 deaths, 7 arrests

Military forces killed eight people identified as “terrorist elements” in Sinai in the course of a major operation targeting militant groups in the embattled peninsula, Armed Forces spokesperson Mohamed Samir announced on Monday.

The operation was launched following a deadly attack on the Karm al-Qawadees checkpoint in North Sinai on Friday that left at least 31 soldiers dead and more than 27 others injured.

One of the assailants in Friday’s incident was among those killed in Monday’s operation, which also resulted in the arrest of seven suspects, according to the Armed Forces. Three homes allegedly harboring the militants were destroyed in the military’s assault, as well as three storehouses for weapons.

On Friday night, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi issued Presidential Decree No. 366 (2014) to implement a three-month state of emergency across large swathes of the region, including the major cities of Arish and Sheikh Zuwayed. A curfew from 5 pm to 7 am each day has also gone into effect until further notice. Violations of the curfew are punishable by imprisonment.

Security forces in Sinai have been the target of bombings perpetrated by anti-government militant groups since a security vacuum befell the region following the January 25, 2011 revolution. These attacks have significantly escalated since Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated former President Mohamed Morsi fell from power last year.

Ansar Beit al-Maqdes, a Sinai-based militant group, has claimed responsibility for the majority of these attacks, as well as similar assaults on security targets in Cairo and the Delta region.

Some analysts have warned that the military’s response to the violence may create more problems than it solves.

Ismail al-Iskandarany, a political sociologist and expert in Islamist movements, questions how prepared the Armed Forces really are to successfully confront armed terrorist elements in Sinai.

“We can see a pattern of mistakes that leads to ongoing fatalities amongst the army and police forces, such as the means of transporting conscripts and leaving them to travel unguarded throughout Sinai during the holidays,” Iskadarany told Mada Masr in a previous interview.

“We need new strategies and tactics that are capable of confronting armed terror groups,” he argued, “tactics that evolve and develop along with those of armed elements.”