DHAKA: Egyptian military helicopters carried out a second day of air raids on Sunday in the Sinai Peninsula, where they are facing an insurgency by Islamist militants, witnesses said.

Apache helicopters hit targets in north Sinai near the Rafah border crossing with the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, witnesses said, reports Turkish daily Hurriyet.

The army said nine ‘radical Islamists’ were killed on Saturday in north Sinai when it launched an air and ground offensive in which nine suspects were also arrested and three arms caches destroyed.

On Saturday, security officials gave a toll of 10 killed, 20 wounded and 15 arrested.

The military has been facing an insurgency in north Sinai, a haven for Al-Qaeda-inspired militants who have launched almost daily attacks against security forces in recent weeks.

Deadly violence has grown in the Sinai since former president Hosni Mubarak was toppled in massive popular protests in 2011.

The restive region has seen an increase in clashes between militants and security forces since the military toppled Islamist president Mohamed Mursi on July 3 in a popularly backed coup.

For years Sinai has defied the central government’s authority with its Bedouin population complaining of poverty and discrimination.

BDST: 1839 HRS, SEPT 08, 2013
RoR/RK