Jihadist Terror Attacks in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula Kill at Least 30
by JNS.org
JNS.org – Jihadists affiliated with the Islamic State terror group launched four separate attacks in the northern Sinai Peninsula on Thursday, involving mortars and car bombs that targeted military and police sites. Medical and security officials said that at least 30 people were killed, including several civilians.
The attacks were reportedly carried out by Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, a Sinai-based terror group that swore allegiance to Islamic State last year. A Twitter post from an Islamic State-affiliated account said Thursday’s attacks were led by the “men of the Islamic State.”
The Egyptian army responded to Thursday’s attack by starting wide offensives throughout the northern Sinai, using Apache helicopters and drones to target terrorist hideouts, Al-Ahram reported.
Reports also indicate that Egypt’s army was fighting jihadists in a village near Sheikh Zuweid, which is close to the country’s borders with Gaza and Israel.
Meanwhile, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi cut a visit to Ethiopia for the African Union summit short to return home after the attacks, the state-run Middle East News Agency reported.
The Egyptian military has waged an extensive campaign aimed at eradicating Sinai terrorists amid a rise in jihadist attacks there in recent years.