88 militants killed in Egypt’s Sinai over 11 days: Army

CAIRO

The Egyptian army has killed scores of militants in the northern Sinai Peninsula within the past 11 days, a military spokesman asserted on Sunday.

In a statement posted on Facebook, Brigadier-General Mohamed Samir said the army had killed a total of 88 militants in the volatile region between July 20 and July 31.

According to Samir, another 58 individuals suspected of engaging in militant activity -- two of whom, he said, had been “wanted” by the authorities -- were detained over the same period.

The army, added Samir, had also destroyed 39 vehicles and 36 motorbikes used by militants to carry out attacks on security personnel.

Anadolu Agency was unable to independently verify the spokesman’s claims.

Egyptian security forces have stepped up their campaign against suspected militants in the peninsula since at least 17 soldiers were killed last month in a series of coordinated attacks on army checkpoints in northern Sinai.

Since mid-2013, when the military ousted Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first freely elected president, northern Sinai has become the epicenter of a deadly insurgency against Egyptian security personnel.

For the last two years, security forces have waged a fierce campaign against militants in the peninsula, which shares borders with both Israel and the blockaded Gaza Strip.