The Islamist militant group Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis (ABM) has confirmed the death of its chief two weeks after the Egyptian army announced the killing during an anti-insurgency operation in North Sinai. In a statement shared online on Thursday by accounts affiliated to the group, ABM said that Abu Doaa Al-Ansari along with other fighters were killed by the Egyptian army. On 4 August, the Egyptian army said it had killed Al-Ansari along with his top aides and dozens of other militants in a series of airstrikes. ABM said a new chief for the group, Sheikh Abdullah, has been named, warning that "more bitter" attacks are yet to come. Islamist militants in parts of the North Sinai region have spearheaded a deadly insurgency against the army and police since the 2013 overthrow Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. Hundreds of security personnel have been killed in these attacks. The army said it also killed hundreds of militants.
