CAIRO: Egypt says at least seven troops, including an officer, have been killed in clashes with militants in recent operations in restive northern Sinai Peninsula.
The military said in a statement Tuesday that forces have killed at least 59 suspected militants and arrested another 142 suspected militants and criminals.
It says airstrikes destroyed 56 vehicles containing weapons and ammunition in the Western Desert, south and northeastern border areas.
The military statement gave no timeframe for these recent operations. It wasn’t possible to independently confirm the details as access to northern Sinai is heavily restricted.
Egypt launched a nationwide operation against militants last year. It has struggled to defeat a long-running insurgency in Sinai, which serves as a base for Egypt’s Daesh affiliate.
Sinai clashes kill 7 Egyptian troops, 59 militants
Sinai clashes kill 7 Egyptian troops, 59 militants
- Egypt launched a nationwide operation against militants last year
- The country has struggled to defeat a long-running insurgency in Sinai
Iraq begins closing Al-Hol camp, 19,000 citizens return home
- About 3,000 Iraqis still remain in Al-Hol
- The camp currently houses around 60,000 people of various nationalities, most of them women and children linked to Daesh fighters
DUBAI: Iraq said it has begun dismantling the Al-Hol camp in northeast Syria, repatriating thousands of its citizens as part of efforts to prevent the site from being used to promote extremist ideology, state news agency INA reported on Wednesday.
The Ministry of Migration and Displacement said around 19,000 Iraqis returned from Al-Hol to their former areas of residence and were reintegrated into local communities, with no security incidents recorded.
Karim Al-Nouri, undersecretary at the ministry, said returnees were subjected to screening and vetting before their transfer to the Al-Amal Community Rehabilitation Center in Al-Jada’a, south of Mosul in Iraq.
“The Ministry of Migration and Displacement is not concerned with security aspect,” Al-Nouri said, adding terrorism cases are handled separately by judiciary.
He said senior Daesh militants recently transferred to Iraq were brought from prisons run by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and not from Al-Hol camp.
The most recent group of returnees consists of 281 families, marking the 31st batch received by Iraq so far.
Officials described Al-Hol as a potential security threat, saying the camp has been exploited in the past as a recruitment hub for Daesh and a center for spreading extremism.
The camp currently houses around 60,000 people of various nationalities, most of them women and children linked to Daesh fighters.
Iraqi returnees receive psychological, medical and social support at the Al-Amal center, with assistance from international organizations and the Iraqi health ministry, before returning to their communities, according to the ministry. Those found to have committed crimes are referred to courts.
Al-Nouri said about 3,000 Iraqis still remain in Al-Hol. He added Iraqi detainees are also held in other prisons in Syria, with their cases requiring follow-up by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
