4 Egyptian troops killed amid Sinai operation

By Hussein Qabani

CAIRO

Four soldiers were killed in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula as part of an ongoing military operation in the restive area, according to a military spokesman.

In a statement on Sunday, Col. Tamer Rifai said warplanes attacked six militant targets in northern and central Sinai and the Nile Delta.

Ten militants were killed in the North Sinai city of Arish and 245 suspected militants detained during the operation, the spokesman said.

According to the military spokesman, four troops were killed during the offensive. An army officer and three soldiers were also injured.

Sunday’s fatalities bring to 16 soldiers killed since the security operation against militants blamed for a string of attacks across the country began on Feb. 9.

More than 3,048 people have also been detained.

The Sinai operation comes amid preparations to hold Egypt’s presidential election later this month, in which incumbent President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi seeks re-election.

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