CAIRO — Egypt’s interior ministry
said Monday it killed three “terrorist elements” in the
Sinai Peninsula
suspected of involvement in the execution of a Coptic Christian claimed by a Daesh-affiliated group.
اضافة اعلان
“National security received
intelligence about a group of terrorist elements involved in the killing of
Nabil Habashi ... in North Sinai ... with the aim of carrying out hostile
operations targeting the homes and houses of worship of Coptic citizens,” the
ministry said in a statement.
Three suspected militants were killed
in an “intense firefight” with security forces, the ministry added.
The ministry said its troops found
one suicide belt and a hand grenade in the militants’ possession. It said a
manhunt was continuing for other suspected members of the cell.
In a 13-minute video released by
Daesh affiliate Sinai Province, the 62-year-old Copt from Bir al-Abd in North
Sinai is shot dead at point blank range by a militant flanked by two others
carrying rifles.
“As for you
Christians of Egypt,
this is the price you are paying for supporting the Egyptian army,” the
militant who executes the man says in the video shared widely on messaging app
Telegram.
The Coptic Orthodox Church, which is
followed by most members of Egypt’s Christian minority, who make up between 10
and 15 percent of its 100-million population, paid tribute to Habashi.
“He kept the faith till the moment
he was killed ... The church affirms its steadfast support of the Egyptian
state’s efforts in quelling hateful terror acts,” the church’s spokesperson
said.
Two young Sinai tribesmen were also
seen being executed in the video, with the militants accusing them of fighting
alongside the Egyptian military.
The long-running, insurgency in
North Sinai escalated in 2013 when the army overthrew Egypt’s elected Islamist
president Mohamed Morsi.
In February 2018, the government
launched a nationwide operation against militants focused on North Sinai.
The army says some 975 suspected
militants have been killed in the ongoing campaign.
But the region has remained largely
cut off to journalists, making the compilation of independent casualty figures
almost impossible.
Read more region & world
.jpg)
.jpg)
