The Egyptian Border Guards have conducted a wide military campaign on all borders for more than seven months, targeting smuggling and illegal immigration, military spokesperson Mohamed Samir said Tuesday. Samir reviewed the army's efforts during the period from October, 2014 to April, 2015, in a detailed report posted on his official Facebook page. He said the Border Guards have seized large amounts of weapons, ammunition, explosive devices and bombs as well as drugs, including the following: 6.097 machine guns, sniper rifles and pistols. 2.350 tons of explosive materials including T.N.T and C4. 58 missiles and mortar shells. 373.790 bullets of various types. 96 tons of drugs including cannabis, opium and heroin. In addition to 18 million pill tablets including Tramadol and Tamol. Samir said the army arrested 6.000 illegal immigrants of different nationalities, either trying to infiltrate the Egyptian territories or to cross borders without valid passports. The Egyptian army has also demolished 521 entry points of tunnels located under the eastern borders with the Gaza Strip, which have been used to smuggle weapons and transfer militants into Egypt, the report said. Samir noticed that some of the tunnels had railroad tracks and communications rooms. On May 13, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi said at least 80 percent of the tunnels between Sinai and the Gaza Strip had been destroyed in a massive security operation. A state of emergency has been enforced in parts of North Sinai since October 2014. The military forces have destroyed 150 terror bases and killed hundreds of militants since then.
