2 Egyptian officers killed in Sinai operations: Army

By Mohamed al-Rayyis

CAIRO (AA) - Two officers have been killed in an ongoing Egyptian army campaign against militant groups based in the Sinai Peninsula, according to a Thursday army statement.

The statement, which was broadcast on state television, did not say how the officers had been killed except to say they were slain during “military operations”.

"At least 13 militants were killed in the same operations," the statement read.

It went on to assert that in recent days 86 “terrorists and criminals” had been captured in the restive peninsula.

Since the military campaign began on Feb. 9, 12 Egyptian military personnel and 95 militants have been killed, according to a tally by Anadolu Agency.

The Sinai operation comes in the run-up to a presidential election slated to be held from March 26 to 28 in which incumbent President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi hopes to win a second four-year term in office.

The Sinai Peninsula has remained the epicenter of a militant insurgency since 2013, when the army -- led by al-Sisi -- ousted Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's first freely elected president and a Muslim Brotherhood leader.