Egypt’s Security Forces Kill 8 Extremists in Sinai Peninsula

CAIRO (Sputnik) -The Egyptian security forces killed eight extremists in the north of the Sinai Peninsula during a special operation, the country’s Interior Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The extremists were killed in a shootout with police, when the security forces raided a suspected hideout in the city of Arish, according to the ministry. The Egyptian forces also seized a number of weapons and explosives during the operation.

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Egypt has been fighting jihadist insurgency in northern Sinai since the army overthrew then-President Mohamed Morsi in 2013. Police and security forces have frequently been the target of deadly attacks staged by Islamists in the area.

In 2014, Sinai's indigenous militants pledged their allegiance to the Daesh terrorist group. The Wilayat Sinai, the Daesh branch in Sinai, has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly attacks in the area.