A police officer was killed on Wednesday in Western Arish, Northern Sinai after militants opened fire on him, Aswat Masriya reported. The death of the police official increases the tally of security personnel deaths to seven during this week. The attack occurred one day after security forces succeeded in confiscating an underground hospital for militants and an arms warehouse as well as destroying car-smuggling tunnels in the Sheikh Zowayed village and Rafah. Security sources told Aswat Masriya that the underground hospital was used for healing injured militants who are engaging in armed combat with security forces in the northern area of the Sinai Peninsula. The hospital consisted of five rooms and was equipped with medical and surgery equipment. Security Forces were also able to confiscate an arms warehouse in Sheikh Zowayed. The warehouse accommodated RPG ammo and TNT explosives, in addition to sniper rifles and explosive belts. A tunnel used to smuggle cars to the Gaza Strip was also destroyed in Rafah. An operation of smuggling four kilogrammes of pure gold and EGP 10m to the Gaza strip was also foiled by security forces on Wednesday. The safe houses of fifty militants were set ablaze and unlicensed cars used for attacks on security personnel and entities were confiscated. The army spokesman also announced the arrest of 13 militants in various areas in North Sinai, including Rafah, Arish, Sheikh Zowayed and Al-Gora. Violence escalated in Sinai since the military-backed ousting of President Mohamed Morsi on 3 July 2013. Minister of Interior Mohamed Ibrahim declared in a TV interview on 31 August that Sinai will be "terrorist-free" in 2013, accusing Morsi's regime of being responsible for the increase in the number of militants in the Sinai Peninsula. Additional Reprting by Nasser Al-Azzazy
