On February 5, a bus carrying service members of the Egyptian security forces was targeted with an IED south of the city of al-Arish in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, according to the Russian RT TV. The source reported that two personals of the Egyptian security forces were killed and five others were injured in the IED attack.
Egyptian sources accused ISIS of standing behind the attack on the Egyptian security forces bus. However, the ISIS-linked news agency Amaq didn’t confirm that the attack was conduct by the terrorist organization’s cells.
Meanwhile, Egyptian Army Spokesman Colonel Tamer Rifai announced in an official statement that the Egyptian Army conducted a series of operations against ISIS cells in the Sinai Peninsula. During the operations, the army destroyed an ammo depot, sixteen hideouts and three motorcycles of ISIS, according to Col. Rifai.
The army stepped up its security operations against ISIS cells in Sinai Peninsula after the terrorist organization killed more than 300 civilians during a brutal attack on a mosque west of al-Arish on November 24, 2017. However, ISIS cells showed a fierce resistance. The terrorist group is likely trying to maintain a foothold in Sinai amid the collapse of its self-proclaimed Caliphate in Syria and Iraq.
Photos of the Egyptian Army operations in Sinai Peninsula:
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