Egypt launches Sinai air raids 
to hit back at Islamic militants

The use of assault helicopters and ground troops to raid villages marked a sharp escalation in Egypt’s fight against Islamic militants who have become increasingly active in the mountainous, desert peninsula bordering Israel.

Earlier this week, militants stunned the Egyptian army with a surprise attack in which gunmen killed 16 soldiers, stole armoured vehicles and drove into Israel to attempt another attack.

In a statement read out on state TV, the military said it has started a joint military-police ground operation in Sinai, backed by warplanes, to “restore stability and regain control” of the Sinai. It provided little detail.

“The Armed Forces and the Interior Ministry, backed by warplanes, started on Tuesday night implementing a plan to restore stability and security control and to pursue and target the terrorist and armed elements in Sinai,” it said. It added that initial operations had been successful and the campaign was continuing.

The country is also continuing work to identify and seal up tunnels it says were used by the militants to cross the border.

“We call on the tribes and residents of Sinai to cooperate to regain security control,” the statement added.

The Sunday ambush was one of the bloodiest attacks in Sinai in years and the deadliest against Egyptian troops, underlining the growing lawlessness of the territory, where security forces are targeted by militants, some loosely linked with al-Qaida.

In the latest violence, gunmen opened fire on three security checkpoints around el-Arish, the capital of North Sinai province, 30 miles from the borders with Gaza and Israel. One of the attacks was on the checkpoint on the road between el-Arish and the town of Rafah on the Israeli border.

The shootings wounded six people, among them a military officer, two soldiers, two policemen and a civilian whose condition is critical.

Helicopters carried out strikes using missiles in retaliation later, security officials said. They did not give further detail.

It was the first time the army has fired missiles in Sinai since Egypt’s 1973 war with Israel, in which Egypt tried to recapture the then-Israeli held peninsula. Sinai reverted to Egyptian control under Cairo’s 1979 peace treaty with Egypt. Israeli forces completed the withdrawal in 1982.

Sinai has seen lawlessness and militant violence in the past, but it became worse after the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak in February 2011.

Residents say the militants are far better armed than the security forces on the ground.

Since Mubarak was ousted, some of the groups have distributed fliers in Sinai urging the forces to leave the peninsula because, they say, it will be declared an Islamic state.

Under the peace treaty with Israel, a large chunk of Sinai is to be demilitarised. But in 2005 and following Mubarak’s removal, Israel agreed to boost the number of troops in the area, although they remain lightly armed.

The Sunday attack spurred renewed calls in Egypt to amend the 1979 treaty to allow for more troops and ammunition in Sinai.

The 16 soldiers killed by the suspected Islamist militants on Sunday were buried on Tuesday, but their funeral ceremonies were disrupted by pro-military hecklers who chanted slogans against President Mohammed Morsi of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood and Gaza’s Hamas rulers.

Both Islamist groups condemned the killings, but the deadly attack is likely to prevent any relaxation of security along the border and fuel Egyptian fears of Palestinian militancy spilling across its borders.