Egypt Says 21 Terrorists Killed in 2 Northern Sinai Operatio

[NewsReporter]

VOA - World News

CAIRO - Egypt's Interior Ministry says 21 suspected terrorists were killed within 24 hours when police stormed two hideouts in the northern Sinai. Police say terrorists were plotting attacks on the Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of Ramadan.
          
Arab media showed photos of the bodies of terrorist suspects killed by Egyptian police during raids on two locations where they were allegedly preparing attacks.
 
One of the police raids took place at an abandoned house in the northern Sinai town of Bir al-Abed, where terrorists have attacked security forces several times in recent months. The second police raid took place in an agricultural region near the northern Sinai coastal town of el-Arish. Several police commanders were wounded in the raids.
 
Terrorists have staged attacks on government security forces during major holidays in recent years to try and sap the moral of the police and military. Terrorists also killed nearly 300 worshippers at a northern Sinai mosque in 2017.  
 
Amateur video showed Egyptian military officers talking with a crowd of northern Sinai residents recently, encouraging young people to oppose terrorism and defend their country.
 
Egyptian media frequently accuse Qatar and Turkey of supporting the terrorists in the northern Sinai and along the border in Libya. Both countries deny the charges, although they admit to supporting Egypt's now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.