Egypt: Military claims 30 militants killed in Sinai operations

Event

On Wednesday, April 25, the Egyptian military claimed that it had killed some 30 militants in operations in the northern Sinai Peninsula over the previous week. The military also reportedly destroyed ten vehicles carrying weapons and ammunition in the Western Desert and arrested 173 suspected militants during these operations. Authorities added that three military officers had been killed and two others wounded in associated fighting. Additional military raids on suspected militant personnel and positions are expected in the coming weeks in the Sinai Peninsula and Western Desert.

Context

The Sinai Peninsula has been the epicenter of frequent attacks by 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. 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

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.