Egypt: Army operations in Sinai kill 36 militants in recent days /update 9

Event

On Monday, March 19, Egyptian army officials announced that 36 Islamist militants - as well as four Egyptian soldiers - had been killed in the northern and central Sinai Peninsula over the last five days as part of the Sinai 2018 military operation. Some 345 people, including suspected militants and criminals, had also been arrested during that period. Additional Egyptian army raids against suspected Islamist terrorist cells and positions are expected in the Sinai Peninsula in the coming days.

Context

The current Sinai 2018 operation aims to eradicate suspected militant and criminal cells in the Sinai Peninsula, as well as reinforce state control along the country's borders. The Egyptian police and the army have been placed on maximum alert for the duration of the operation. Since the Sinai 2018 operation began on February 9, at least 100 Islamist militants have been killed, as well as at least 20 Egyptian military personnel.

The Sinai Peninsula has been the epicenter of frequent attacks by Islamic State (IS)-affiliated militants since 2013 - usually targeting security forces or minority Coptic Christians. In November 2017 Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered the Egyptian military to stabilize the area within three months, telling security forces to use "all brute force necessary." Previously, al-Sisi had warned that the risk of terrorism had increased in Egypt as IS suffered major territorial losses in Iraq and Syria, pushing many of its militants to travel to Egypt. Such groups also operate on a smaller scale outside the peninsula.

Egypt remains under a state of emergency, originally declared following IS attacks on churches in Alexandria and Tanta that killed some 50 people on Palm Sunday in April 2017.

Advice

In general, due to the prevailing threat of terrorism, individuals throughout Egypt should report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities and always be on guard when visiting sites deemed particularly vulnerable to an attack (e.g. public transportation, train stations, ports, airports, public or government buildings, embassies or consulates, international organizations, schools and universities, religious sites, markets, hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners/Westerners, festivals, etc.). Some governments advise their nationals against all travel to the Sinai Peninsula due to the persistent terrorist threat.