18 May 2018 | 06:39 PM UTC
Egypt: Military announces 19 militants killed in Sinai May 17
Egyptian military announces on May 17 that 19 suspected militants killed and 20 others arrested in Sinai Peninsula in recent days; militants target security forces convoy in Al-Arish May 18
Event
On Thursday, May 17, Egyptian military officials confirmed that at least 19 suspected militants had been killed and 20 others arrested during operations in the Sinai Peninsula over the past few days. Reports on Friday, May 18, also claimed that suspected militants targeted a security forces convoy in Al-Arish with an explosive device; the number of associated casualties is unclear. Additional security forces raids on militant positions, as well as militant attacks on security forces, are possible in the Sinai Peninsula, particularly in North Sinai province, in the coming weeks.
Context
Nearly 300 people, including dozens of security forces personnel, are estimated to have been killed since Comprehensive Operation - Sinai 2018 was launched in February.
The Sinai Peninsula has been the epicenter of frequent attacks by 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. 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.
