Egypt: Military kills and arrests militants in Sinai, Nile Delta, and Western Desert /update 1

Event

On Sunday, February 11, the Egyptian army announced that security forces had recently killed 16 suspected militants and arrested 34 other suspected militants in an operation in the Sinai Peninsula, the Nile Delta, and the Western Desert. The operation, launched on Friday, February 9, reportedly destroyed 66 militant targets; most such targets were in the Sinai Peninsula. Additional security forces raids on suspected militant positions are possible in the abovementioned areas in Egypt in the coming weeks.

Context

The "Sinai 2018" operation aims to eradicate suspected militant and criminal cells in the Sinai Peninsula, the Nile Delta, and the Western Desert, as well as reinforce state control along the country's borders. The Egyptian police and the army have been placed on maximum alert in these regions for the duration of the operation.

The Sinai Peninsula has been the epicenter of frequent attacks by Islamic State (IS)-affiliated militants since 2013 - usually targeting security forces or minority Coptic Christians. In November 2017 Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi ordered the Egyptian military to stabilize the area within the three months, telling security forces to use "all brute force necessary." Previously, Al-Sisi had warned that the risk of terrorism had increased in Egypt as IS suffered major territorial losses in Iraq and Syria, pushing many of its militants to travel to Egypt. Such groups also operate on a smaller scale outside the peninsula.

Egypt remains under a state of emergency, originally declared following IS attacks on churches in Alexandria and Tanta that killed some 50 people on Palm Sunday in April 2017.

Advice

Individuals in the affected areas are advised to remain vigilant for potential militant activity, report all suspicious objects or behavior, and adhere to any instructions issued by the local authorities.

In general, due to the prevailing threat of terrorism, individuals throughout Egypt should report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities and always be on guard when visiting sites deemed particularly vulnerable to an attack (e.g. public transportation, train stations, ports, airports, public or government buildings, embassies or consulates, international organizations, schools and universities, religious sites, markets, hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners/Westerners, festivals, etc.). Some governments advise their nationals against all travel to the Sinai Peninsula due to the persistent terrorist threat.