Egypt's commando forces killed Thursday five Takfiris (those who accuse other Muslims of apostasy) in Al Arish, North Sinai east of the capital city of Cairo, Al-Bawaba News cited military sources. Forces attacked a Wilayat Sinai terrorist cell which was planning to carry out a terrorist attack against the Egyptian army, the sources added. Witnesses from Garada village, eastern Al Arish, said they had found earlier on Thursday five unidentified bodies. Over the past week, the Egyptian military announced it killed and arrested tens of Wilayat Sinai militants, closely related to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group. The IS offshoot has repeatedly claimed responsibility for terrorist attacks against Egyptian police and military forces in the restive Sinai Peninsula and other parts in Egypt since the former president Mohamed Morsi was ousted July 2013. Following a string of deadly attacks, Egypt's Supreme Military Council announced a new strategy including constructing a buffer zone on eastern borders with the Islamist-run Gaza Strip where militants and weapons are smuggled into the volatile peninsula.
