Egypt again claims success against IS

cairo - Units of the Egyptian army and the police have again reported successes in the fight against Muslim terrorism. A spokesman said that during a week-long offensive in the Sinai, 53 extremists were killed and 680 suspects were arrested. On the peninsula jihadists are active who have links with Islamic State.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who hopes to be re-elected in March, ordered the security forces in November to take out the IS branch within three months. He did so after an attack on a mosque in Sinai, which killed more than three hundred people. That was the bloodiest act of terror in the modern history of Egypt.

All army units and special police services participated in the latest operation. The air force carried out more than a hundred bombing raids. As a result, more than 1000 kilos of explosives, 378 hiding and weapon storage facilities and a press center of the militants would have been destroyed. General Yasser Abdel Aziz said Thursday to continue until the last terrorist has disappeared from Sinai. 'We decide in the coming days, depending on the situation, whether expansion of the operation is necessary. '