Staff report: CAIRO, July 03, 2018 - Three highly-dangerous terrorists were eliminated during an exchange of fire with security forces in the course of the Comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018, the Armed Forces said in a communiqué Tuesday. A total of 200 kilogrammes of TNT packs, planted to target forces raiding the operational zones in Northern and Central Sinai, were detected and destroyed by military engineers in the past few days, the communiqué said. Comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018 was launched on February 9 to target terrorist hideouts and hotspots and to arrest fugitive elements. The operation is carried out by the Armed Forces and civilian Police. The results of the operation, as outlined in the Armed Forces' 25th communiqué issued Tuesday, also included the destruction of 285 hideouts that were hosting terrorist elements and where a number of explosives, weapons and ammunition were found. A number of tunnels were also destroyed, the communiqué said, adding that a cache of automatic weapons, ammunition and communication devices were found in the hideouts and tunnels. Twelve vehicles used by terrorist elements were also seized and destroyed, the communiqué said. Since the start of the operation, the Armed Forces have been taking all the precautionary measures deemed necessary to protect the lives and properties of the civilians living near the areas, where the anti-terror operation is taking place. "The Armed Forces are determined to combat and defeat terrorism, secure vital and strategic state installations and protect Egypt's economic interests in the maritime theatre of operations," the communiqué said. The Armed Forces have also rounded up more than 59 fugitives, it said, summing up the actions mounted so far by troops of the Second and Third Field Armies with the participation of Police elements in Northern and Central Sinai. It said that two civilians were killed when an explosive device, planted to ambush troops in Sinai, went off. And a soldier was wounded during clashes with the terrorists.
