Armed forces operations in North Sinai left 45 militants killed, and 97 others arrested, 79 of whom are suspects. The operations destroyed 15 hideouts between 8 and 15 of March, according to a Sunday military spokesperson's statement. Militants are targeted in Al-Arish, Rafah and Sheikh Zuweid within the frame work of "eliminating terrorism". The military spokesperson announced earlier this month that 70 militants were killed during the first week of March, bringing the month's total to 115 so far. These compare to the 173 others killed during the whole month of February. Insurgent activities in North Sinai are usually claimed by militant group "State of Sinai" which pledged allegiance to "Islamic State" (IS) in November. The group was formerly known as Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis. The group recently claimed two attacks in Al-Arish on 10 March, killing a civilian and a security officer, and injuring more than 45 others. The first attack targeted a security camp and the second targeted a military vehicle. Both attacks took place days before the Economic Summit, which started on 13 March. The armed forces, along with Interior Ministry, have been securing the summit held in Sharm El-Sheikh in South Sinai, with the attendance of several world leaders. On the sidelines of the summit, representatives from several countries expressed their support for Egypt in its "fight against terrorism". Attacks on security personnel, in the restive Sinai Peninsula particularly, and across Egypt generally, have been on the rise since the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. Many groups opposing the current regime have claimed many of these attacks, with "State of Sinai" being the most active of these groups. The militant group has claimed two of the largest attacks in the peninsula, the most recent of which was on 29 January, targeting a number of security facilities and personnel in Al-Arish, Rafah and Sheikh Zuweid and claiming to have killed "hundreds". Official numbers say at least 30 were killed.
