The Egyptian Armed Forces announced on Tuesday destroying 179 targets in the theatre of operations in Sinai, as well as 350 targets that were used by terrorist groups as hideouts during the military raids, according to military spokesperson Tamer Al-Refaie in a statement. Four extremists were also killed during the 11th day of the extensive military operations in Sinai, 112 suspects were arrested, and 41 bombs were controlled. Two weeks ago, in a televised statement, the Egyptian Armed Forces announced its extensive military operation in Sinai to eliminate militancy from the restive peninsula. The operation aims to target "dens and ammunition storages that are being used by terrorist elements," the statement added. The ongoing operation, which is dubbed Sinai 2018, includes navy, air, and infantry forces. El-Refaie added that the forces have also destroyed four bomb stocks, 13 vehicles, and 27 motorbikes. According to the statement, the military forces destroyed a lab for preparing explosives and a media centre that was used by terrorists. Egypt is currently battling several armed groups, concentrated mainly in the Sinai Peninsula, since the ouster of Islamist former president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. Since then, shootings that target security personnel and state officials have become a near weekly occurrence in Egypt. Since 2013, state security forces, represented by both the military and the police, have been engaged in violent clashes with "Sinai Province", a group previously known as Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis. In 2014, the group declared its affiliation with the Islamic State group (IS) and has launched deadly attacks on army and police checkpoints. In November 2017, Al-Sisi vowed to restore stability by eradicating terrorism, placing the military and police in charge of completing the task within a period of three months. This had followed a massive first-of-its-kind terror attack on a mosque in Al-Arish city, which killed at least 305 citizens.
