Security forces kill six militants in shootout in central Egypt: Ministry
Egyptian security forces have killed six militants of a terror outfit in the African country, the interior ministry says.
According to a statement by the ministry, the “terrorist elements” were killed in a shootout with police forces in a desert in the vicinity of the Bahariya Oasis some 370 kilometers southwest of the Egyptian capital Cairo on Thursday.
"Upon the approach of police forces, the terrorist group opened fire, prompting police to fire back,” it said, adding that a number of hunting rifles and four assault rifles were found and seized at the site.
Takfiri terrorists have so far launched several attacks in the vast desert area located west of the Nile.
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 statement did not mention the name of the terror group but the Velayat Sinai terror outfit, which pledged allegiance to the Daesh terror group 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.
Hundreds of security personnel have also lost their lives in an escalation of attacks since 2013.
In February last year, the Egyptian army launched a full-scale counter-terrorism military campaign, dubbed “Sinai 2018,” on President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's order after a terror attack in North Sinai claimed the lives of more than 300 people at a mosque.
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