Egypt Military Claims 47 Militants Killed in Sinai Offensive

Apache Helicopters Attack ISIS-Linked Militants

Egypt’s military junta has claimed today that they have killed at least 47 fighters from Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, a faction which has pledged alliance to ISIS, in an offensive against the Sinai Peninsula.

Military officials say the offensive was carried out with Apache helicopters, and was the biggest new security operation in Sinai in several months.

The junta attacked Sinai after its summer 2013 coup, claiming the local militants were supporters of the ousted elected government. So far, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis has established itself as a far bigger group since the attacks, and the war has not gone well for Egypt.

The Sinai militants had some major successes in January, and the junta seems to want to present the newest offensive against them as proof that the tide has turned.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.