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Prominent militant leader killed in Sinai offensive Egypt's army spokesperson says three militants, including prominent leader Abu-Mounir, were killed Tuesday in a joint police-army offensive in Sinai
A prominent militant Islamist leader, accused of a mass murder of Egyptian soldiers, was killed Tuesday during a security offensive in Egypt's restive Sinai Peninsula, according to an army spokesman. Leading Islamist militant, Mohamed Mohareb ("Abu-Mounir"), his son, and a third suspected militant were killed in an exchange of fire with security forces in northern Sinai,military spokesman Colonel Ahmed Ali said. Abu-Mounir and his son were suspected of killing 25 Egyptian policemen in an August ambush near the Northern Sinai border town of Rafah, security officials said. Egypt has been rocked by violentpolitical turmoil since the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July. A sustained crackdown on Islamists, in which thousands have been arrested, including Morsi himself, has aroused anxiety that some might take up arms against the state. Egypt's army has poured troops and armour into the restive peninsula, which adjoins Israel, to flush out mounting militancy, which has spiked since the deposition of Morsi. Frequent attacks which killed dozens of army and security personnel in Sinai have increased fears that militant violence might spill over into other parts of Egypt. Another four suspected militants were captured in Tuesday's joint army and police operation, and a police officer was injured. The army spokesman said Abu-Mounir was one of the "most prominent and dangerous" wanted militants in the volatile region. Ten Egyptian soldiers were killed by a car bomb in the peninsula on Wednesday in one of the deadliest attacks in recent months. A Sinai-based Islamist militant group claimed responsibility for the assassination of a high-ranking police officer in Cairo in the same week. In September, the same group, Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdis ('Supporters of Jerusalem') claimed responsibility for a failed assassination attempt on the Interior Minister in Cairo. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/87519.aspx
