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Sinai Operation: 7 Egyptian Troops, 71 Extremists Killed in 2 Weeks

Egyptian security forces in Sinai. AFP file photo hoto
Egyptian security forces in Sinai. AFP file photo hoto
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Sinai Operation: 7 Egyptian Troops, 71 Extremists Killed in 2 Weeks

Egyptian security forces in Sinai. AFP file photo hoto
Egyptian security forces in Sinai. AFP file photo hoto

Egypt's military has said seven troops have been killed so far in the wide-ranging security operation launched this month against militants in the restive northern Sinai Peninsula and other areas.

The military's spokesman, Tamer al-Rifai, said at a press conference aired Thursday on state television that six soldiers have been wounded during Operation Sinai 2018, which began Feb. 9.

He said 71 militants have been killed and five arrested.

Troops also arrested 1,852 others, including "criminal elements" and people suspected of supporting militants, many of whom have since been released.

The operation covers north and central Sinai and parts of Egypt's Nile Delta and the Western Desert, along the porous border with Libya.

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At Least 15 Killed in Suicide Bombing at Damascus Church

A Syrian man reacts inside Mar Elias church where a suicide bomber detonated himself in Dweila in the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
A Syrian man reacts inside Mar Elias church where a suicide bomber detonated himself in Dweila in the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
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At Least 15 Killed in Suicide Bombing at Damascus Church

A Syrian man reacts inside Mar Elias church where a suicide bomber detonated himself in Dweila in the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
A Syrian man reacts inside Mar Elias church where a suicide bomber detonated himself in Dweila in the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

At least 15 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Syria's capital Damascus on Sunday, security sources said.

Syria's interior ministry said the suicide bomber was an ISIS member. He entered the church, opened fire and then detonated his explosive vest, the ministry added in a statement.

A security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said two men were involved in the attack, including the one who blew himself up.

Syria's state news agency cited the health ministry as putting the preliminary casualty toll at nine dead and 13 injured.

Some local media reported that children were among the casualties.

A livestream from the site by Syria's civil defense, the White Helmets, showed scenes of destruction from within the church, including a bloodied floor and shattered church pews and masonry.

Syrian Information Minister Hamza Mostafa condemned the attack, calling it a terrorist attack.

“This cowardly act goes against the civic values that brings us together,” he said in a post on X. “We will not back down from our commitment to equal citizenship ... and we also affirm the state’s pledge to exert all its efforts to combat criminal organizations and to protect society from all attacks threatening its safety.”