Egypt's army

Egypt's army has drastically stepped up its demolitions of homes, businesses and farms in the Sinai since launching a widespread campaign against militants in February, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said yesterday.

Egypt's army said on Sept.8 it had launched a "major military operation" against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the Sinai Peninsula, killing 29 jihadists and leaving two soldiers dead.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has phoned four Gulf leaders following the emergence of allegedly leaked audio recordings, in which senior officials, including him, made offensive remarks about wealthy Gulf nations.

Egypt's army clashed with jihadists in Sinai Friday, leaving two children dead, as President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi flew home to deal with a wave of militant attacks that killed at least 30 people.
      
The top brass vowed to hunt down those behind the violence.
      

Egypt's army said July 27 it has destroyed 13 more tunnels connecting the Sinai Peninsula to the Gaza Strip, taking to 1,639 the overall number it has laid waste to.
      
Cairo has poured troops into the peninsula to counter a rising insurgency since the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi last year, and its security operation involves the destruction of these tunnels.