Egyptian army spokesman Tamer El-Refa'i on Sunday dismissed a New York Times report alleging Egyptian approval of Israeli airstrikes against terrorist targets in North Sinai over the past two years. "The Egyptian Army and police are fighting terrorism in North Sinai on their own and without anybody's help," the spokesman said in the statement. El-Refa'i highlighted the success achieved by Egyptian security forces in restricting terrorist elements into a small geographical triangle in the governorate. "The Egyptian army's successes against terrorism in North Sinai are praised internationally," the statement added. The spokesman called on media outlets to be accurate and seek any information related to the Egyptian armed forces from properly designated sources. Egypt's army and police forces have been battling the IS-affiliated terror group Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis for the last several years in parts of North Sinai. The Egyptian army has killed and arrested hundreds of extremists in the last four years using ground troops and airstrikes by the Egyptian airforce. In recent months Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, which had initially focused its terror attacks on security personnel, has shifted to attacking civilian targets in the area.
