32 ‘armed extremists’ killed in Sinai: Egyptian army

By Viola Fahmy

CAIRO (AA) - At least 32 militants have reportedly been killed in a wide-ranging security operation carried out by the Egyptian army in the northeastern Sinai Peninsula.

“Operations in recent days have led to the elimination of 32 armed extremists in two separate incidents in north and central Sinai,” the army said in a statement without providing further details.

Since February, the Egyptian army has been waging extensive operations against Sinai-based militants suspected of carrying out a series of recent attacks.

According to figures released by the military, 318 militants and 37 military personnel have so far been killed in the operation, which remains ongoing.

The Sinai Peninsula has remained the epicenter of a militant insurgency since mid-2013, when Mohamed Morsi -- Egypt’s first-ever freely elected president -- was ousted in a bloody military coup.