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Friday 31 January 2014 - 18:17

Egyptian army kills 13 militants in Sinai

Story Code : 347158
Egyptian army kills 13 militants in Sinai
Egyptian military officials said Friday that the militants died after helicopters fired missiles at houses and huts in the north of the Sinai Peninsula overnight.
 
The airstrikes came days after a military helicopter was shot down in the same region on January 26.
 
A Sinai-based militant group known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis later claimed responsibility for the attack against the military helicopter.
 
In recent months, the remote desert region has been the scene of growing violence and militant attacks on Egyptian security forces.
 
Militant groups have launched almost daily attacks in the volatile region since the ouster of Egypt’s former president Mohamed Morsi in July last year.
 
In response, Cairo has launched several offensives against the militants, sending thousands of troops backed by tanks and heavy equipment into the region to crush militancy, as scores of soldiers and police officers have been killed.
 
On Friday, the militant group, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, also claimed responsibility for the assassination of General Mohamed Saeed, a senior Egyptian Interior Ministry official outside his home in the capital, Cairo on January 28.
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