Intelligence

Egyptian Security Forces Search for Militants in Sinai

Egyptian Security Forces Search for Militants in Sinai - New York Times

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: August 28, 2005

Filed at 5:58 p.m. ET

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- Army sappers joined a 5,000-strong security force Sunday in a sweep through the Sinai, as authorities stepped up their search for militants behind recent bombings of tourist centers on the rugged peninsula.

Security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because the operation was still underway, said at least two army units responsible for clearing mines and one border-guard unit had joined the hunt, which entered its second week Sunday.

The force was focused on Halal mountain, a 5,900-foot peak near the Israeli border that is full of caves and deep ravines.

The security force suffered a major blow on Thursday, when a police major general and a lieutenant colonel were killed in a land mine explosion. Those killed were believed to be the highest ranking police officers to die in a conflict since Egypt put down a violent Islamist insurgency in the mid-1990s.

Police have said they believe some of the suspects holed up in the rugged mountain area are linked to the triple July 23 attacks in the southern Sinai resort of Sharm el-Sheik that killed at least 64 people, as well as the Oct. 7 bombings of two Egyptian resorts near the Israeli border that killed more than 30 people.

On Sunday, masked gunmen in a vehicle opened fire at a security checkpoint near Halal but no one was hurt. The gunmen fled into the mountains.

Since the sweep began, more than 700 Egyptians have been detained with many subsequently released. It is not known if any charges have been filed. An additional 15 people were arrested on Sunday.

Two pro-government newspapers, al-Ahram and al-Akhbar, reported Sunday that the explosive material in the mines was similar to that used in the July and October bombings. They cited forensic reports as saying the explosives were imported.

One security official has said that a key suspect believed to have harbored militants linked to the October attack -- Salem Khadr el-Shenoub -- was thought to be among militants hiding in the area.

Sinai's mountains and desert plains have long been a haven for criminals, fugitives and Bedouin tribesmen involved in smuggling and drug trafficking. Israel also complains that weapons smugglers used the region to smuggle weapons to Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.

August 29, 2005 at 03:30 PM in Middle East | Permalink | Top of page | Blog Home