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1 militant killed, 297 arrested in Egyptian army raids

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Press Trust of India Cairo
At least one militant was killed and 297 others were arrested in separate raids by the Egyptian army in the restive North Sinai governorate.

199 headquarters belonging to militants and 14 tunnel openings were also wiped out in the raids launched between 24 and 26 December, army spokesperson Mohamed Samir said today, adding that 40 unlicensed vehicles used by militants while attacking army and police personnel were destroyed.

The attacks targeting police and military increased after the ouster of Islamist ex-president Mohamed Morsi last year.

Over 500 policemen and soldiers, have been killed in the attacks.

The government declared a state of emergency in parts of North Sinai after an October 24 suicide attack near Al-Arish killed 30 soldiers in the deadliest assault on security forces since Morsi's ouster.
 

Militant groups claim their attacks are in retaliation for a government crackdown targeting Morsi's supporters that has left hundreds dead and thousands jailed.

The army has launched frequent security campaigns in the area, arrested suspects and demolished houses that belong to terrorists, including facilitating tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip.

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First Published: Dec 27 2014 | 6:25 PM IST

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