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450 Jihadists Killed By Egyptian Army Since February

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About 450 jihadists have been killed in an eight month long terror unleashed against the Islamic State group in the Sinai Peninsula, the Egyptian army has said.

The military launched a large-scale operation dubbed “Sinai 2018” in February to rid Sinai of IS jihadists after it attacked a mosque in its north which killed more than 300 people.

“Since the start of the campaign, 450 jihadists were presumed to have been killed in the north and the centre of Sinai by (soldiers) and police,” army spokesman Tamer al-Rifai told newsmen

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According to army figures, about 30 soldiers have been killed during the operation.
Criticism from rights groups over the impact on civilians of its campaign in Sinai were rejected by the Egyptian Army, who argued that people in the peninsula support its operation and receive humanitarian aid.

“All air strikes are carried out by the army outside residential areas,” Rifai said on Tuesday.