Two Egyptian soldiers, eight jihadists killed in Sinai operation
Two Egyptian soldiers, eight jihadists killed in Sinai operation
Two Egyptian soldiers and eight Islamists have been killed in counter-terrorism clashes in the Sinai, the Egyptian military reported on Tuesday.
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Egypt's army has been battling to remove remnant Islamist groups from the Sinai peninsula [Getty]
Two Egyptian soldiers and eight Islamists have been killed in counter-terrorism clashes in the Sinai, the Egyptian military reported.
"As a result of the valiant combat operations of the Armed Forces in the areas of operations, two soldiers were killed," a military statement said on Tuesday.
"One officer and three soldiers were injured during the engagement and the clearing of the terrorist strongholds," it added.
The clashes were part of an operation which started in February to remove remnant Islamist groups from the Sinai peninsula.
They were successful in destroying large amounts of Islamist infrastructure and military hardware as well as the eight killed.
More than 200 jihadists and at least 35 soldiers have been killed since the launch of the operation, according to official figures.
These clashes come despite the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's promise last month the Sinai 2018 campaign would be "finished as soon as possible".
The insurgency in the Sinai has been ongoing since 2011, when groups such as Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, the Hasm Movement, and al-Qaeda declared war against the Egyptian state.
The long-running insurgency gained strength after the military overthrow of president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, when Egypt's security situation deteriorated further. The militants have focused their attacks on security forces and Egypt's Christian minority.
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