The Egyptian military said in a statement on Monday that its air force hit eight four-wheel-drive vehicles carrying arms and explosives at Egypt’s western border with Libya, killing the militants on board.
The bombardment was part of operations to track down “terrorists” who killed 16 policemen in a high-profile attack in the region last week.
Security sources say more than 50 were killed when militants ambushed Egyptian police forces some 135 kilometers outside Cairo on Friday night.
The statement pointed out that this comes with the continuation of the air force and border guards to carry out their duties with determination to secure the borders of the state and to prevent any infiltration or penetration attempts on the borders from all strategic directions.
It added that this coincides with the combing and raiding operations of the patrols in mountainous areas in order to track terrorist elements carrying out the terrorist attacks.
During his visit to the victims of the terrorist incident, Sheikh of Al-Azhar Dr. Ahmed al-Tayeb stressed Monday Al-Azhar's support to the police and army in the face of this malignant terrorism.
He said that "these criminal gangs will not be able to break the will of the Egyptian people, who will be able to defeat them and thwart their destructive schemes through its unity and solidarity with state institutions.”
Sheikh al-Tayeb praised the bravery and courage of the army and policemen and the victims of the attack in facing terrorism and defending Egypt and the security of its people.
