Egypt security forces kill 40 militants in Giza, Sinai: Ministry

Egyptian security forces have killed 40 suspected members of a terror outfit affiliated to the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in Giza province and the north of the Sinai Peninsula during counterterrorism operations, the interior ministry says.

The security forces managed to gun down 40 suspected militants during raids on three hideouts in both regions in the early hours of Saturday, said a statement released by the Ministry of Interior of Egypt.

It added that 30 “terrorists” were killed in 6th of October city and a residential area at the al-Wahat al-Baharia road in Giza province while the remaining 10 were slain in the coastal city of el-Arish in northern Sinai.

The ministry also said that the dawn raids targeted those militants who had been planning to carry out terrorist attacks during Christmas celebrations. 

“Information was received by the national security that a group of terrorists were planning to carry out a series of aggressive attacks targeting state institutions, particularly economic ones, as well as tourism, armed forces, police and Christian places of worship,” the statement added.

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According to the statement, ammunition, firearms and improvised explosive devices were recovered in significant numbers in the hideouts.

The Interior Ministry added that “this comes as a continuation of the ministry's efforts in chasing terrorist elements involved in the implementation of hostile operations seeking to destabilize the country's security.”

The raids were made hours after the explosion of a roadside bomb ripped through a tour bus in the al-Haram district in the vicinity of the Giza pyramids, claiming the lives of three Vietnamese holidaymakers and their Egyptian guide.

A statement from the public prosecutor's office further said that 11 other tourists from Vietnam and an Egyptian bus driver sustained wounds in the bomb attack.

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The Sinai Peninsula has been under a state of emergency since October 2014, after a deadly terrorist attack left 33 Egyptian soldiers dead.

Over the past few years, terrorists have been carrying out anti-government activities and fatal attacks, taking advantage of the turmoil in Egypt that erupted after the country’s first democratically-elected president, Mohamed Morsi, was ousted in a military coup in July 2013.

The Velayat Sinai terror group, pledged allegiance to Daesh in 2014, has claimed responsibility for most of the assaults across Egypt, particularly those in the Sinai region, where the group is based. The terror group, previously known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, has mainly attacked security forces in the restive region of Sinai Peninsula since its inception in 2013. The terrorists have so far killed hundreds of members of security forces.

It later expanded its attacks to target members of Egypt’s Coptic Christian community as well as foreigners visiting the country, prompting Cairo to widen a controversial crackdown, which critics say has mostly targeted dissidents. 

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