Army operations during February killed at least 173 militants in Al-Arish, Rafah, and Sheikh Zuweid, and destroyed a large number of militant hideouts, according to the armed forces Sunday. The operations also saw the arrests of many militants in North Sinai. Militants have mainly been launching attacks in high security areas, including checkpoints, police stations and security camps. In response, the armed forces have formed a counterinsurgency with the aim of "ultimately eliminating terrorism" in the peninsula. The army operations have left 17 militants dead, destroyed 22 hideouts and arrested 122, among them 109 suspects in Al-Arish. In Sheikh Zuweid, at least 127 militants were killed, and 136 others were arrested, out of whom 126 are suspects, and 48 hideouts were destroyed. In Rafah, 29 militants were killed, 97 arrested, out of whom 90 are suspects, and 15 hideouts destroyed, according to the statement. In mid-February, an attempt to bomb Sheikh Zuweid police station using two car bombs was thwarted. However, the attack left a conscript and police officer injured, according to state-run news agency MENA. The army statement read that the militants on board were killed. It further noted that out of the total militants dead, two Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis (State of Sinai) members were killed in Sheikh Zuweid and at least five other group members were arrested. Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis rebranded themselves in November 2014 to "State of Sinai" following their pledge of allegiance to "Islamic State". On 24 February, the group published a statement on their operations against the army in North Sinai as well. They claimed attacks on a number of checkpoints and military camps. Their largest attack on security facilities and personnel was marked on 29 January in Al-Arish, Rafah and Sheikh Zuweid. It targeted several checkpoints, a military camp, the army's Battalion 101, a security complex of the North Sinai Security Directorate, Homeland Security Apparatus, Military Intelligence headquarters and a hotel that belongs to the army. The group frequently posts propaganda photos via their Twitter account showcasing their operations against security personnel as well as photos on social activity in order to win local residents to their side. They have been trying to do so through distributing leaflets threatening the residents with decapitation if they collaborate with the army. Many cases of decapitation were reported in the past months, the first of which was in August 2014, and the latest of which was in February, where the group claimed the decapitation of eight civilians.
