Nine dead as Egyptian forces storm Sinai

A major offensive, by the Egyptian Army backed by air units left nine Isalmist militants dead along the Gaza Strip border.

Apache helicopters joined forces with tanks and soldiers advancing on towns in the Sinai area. Observers hold this operation to be the biggest to hit Sinai in the past years.

The military operation in Sinai was aimed against alleged militant outposts near the towns of Rafah and Sheikh Zuweyid. Nearby villages suffered the repercussions of the offensive as helicopters opened fire on what was claimed to be weapons caches, vehicles and hideouts.

At the same time Egyptian soldiers were called to the Suez Canal to defuse explosives including mortars found along the canal. Since the ousting of former President Hosni Mubarak in 2011, the attacks on pipelines and security forces have been on the rise. Last week, an explosion claimed the life of an official of the Ministry of Interior during an attempt on the life of Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim. The Minister was survived unharmed.