Egypt airstrikes kill IS group head

Cairo, Aug 5: The Egyptian army killed the head of a Sinai-based militant group affiliated with the Islamic State and dozens of other militants in a massive airstrikes in North Sinai, an Egyptian military spokesman said on Thursday.

The security campaign accurately targeted hideouts of the IS-affiliate Sinai State group and managed to kill the group leader known as Abu Duaa al-Ansari and a number of his aides, Brigadier-general Mohamed Samir said in a statement.

Egypt has been battling a growing wave of anti-government terrorism since the military removed former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 and later blacklisted his Muslim Brotherhood group.

On Sunday, a police officer was shot dead by unknown militants near a police station in Arish city of restive North Sinai province.

The Sinai-based militant group claimed responsibility for most of the terrorist operations that killed hundreds of police and military men over the past few years.

In response, the Egyptian military has been launching a continuous massive security campaign in the peninsula that left over 1,000 militants killed and a similar number of suspects arrested.

The security raids in the peninsula, mostly in North Siani's cities of Arish, Sheikh Zuweid and Rafah, are part of the country' s "war against terrorism" declared by ex-military chief and now President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi following Morsi's removal.

IANS