Second high-ranking officer killed in Sinai amid ongoing military operation

A second police general was shot dead by armed men in Arish Sunday night, on the fourteenth day of an intensive military operation to target militant groups in the area.

The Ministry of Interior reported the assassination of Brigadier General Ahmed Abdel Satar on its official Facebook page. The high-ranking officer was targeted near a police station in Arish, North Sinai.

A similar incident occurred on Wednesday, when a police general was shot dead at a checkpoint in Arish. This attack was claimed by the Province of Sinai, the largest militant group in Sinai, which pledged allegiance to the Islamic State earlier this year. The group claimed the attack is part of a wider operation to “hunt apostates.”

The military began an intensive operation in Sinai — Operation Martyr's Rights — on September 7, claiming terrorism would be eradicated from the peninsula within months.

They announced that in the first 11 days of the operation, 438 “terrorists” were killed and 462 suspects arrested. The military spokesperson has added daily updates on the operation to the Armed Forces’ official Facebook page.  

On Saturday, the thirteenth day of the operation, 74 “terrorists” were killed and 52 suspects arrested, according to a video posted on the page, which also claims the destruction of 31 hiding spots, 45 houses, 15 cars and 27 motorcycles.

The Armed Forces assert that this operation will put an end to the ongoing violence between security forces and armed groups in Sinai, which began over two years ago, following the ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.