Operation Martyr's Right

Operation Martyr's Right
Part of the Sinai insurgency
Map of the Sinai Peninsula.
Date 7 September 2015 – present (1 year, 2 months, 3 weeks and 6 days) Location Sinai Peninsula, Egypt
Belligerents
Egypt Egyptian Armed Forces Egyptian National Police	Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Wilayat Sinai
Commanders and leaders
Sedki Sobhi	Abu Osama al-Masri (ISIL Emir of Wilayat Sinai)[1] Shadi el-Manaei
Casualties and losses
Security forces: 10 soldiers killed 2 tanks destroyed 3 humvees destroyed	535 militants killed[2]

Operation Martyr's Right is an ongoing military operation conducted by the Egyptian Armed Forces in cooperation with the Egyptian National Police officers, aimed at rooting out and killing jihadist militants.^[3]

The operation was officially launched on 7 September 2015.^[4][5] It is considered to be the largest military action in the Sinai Peninsula in months.^[6] The operation targets sites in Rafah, Arish and Sheikh Zuweid, all towns in northern area of the peninsula.

A part of the larger background of an international campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, over two hundred militants tied to the terrorist group have been reported dead.^[3]

According to The Economist, despite the heavy toll on the militants, their ranks appeared only to be growing, as a result of the harsh methods (such as collective punishment) used against the local populations by the Egyptian security forces.^[7]

Background and context

According to the official armed forces spokesman, the operation has been launched based on an estimation of the situation and fresh information about many hideouts and targets. The operation came days after the Sinai Province militant group released a video documenting its attacks on the Egyptian military in Sinai, including footage of a wire-guided missile strike that destroyed a naval vessel.

Preparations

Eyewitnesses in North Sinai confirmed there had been a buildup for the operation and an increased number of security checkpoints.

Strategy and results

The Egyptian military deployed naval special forces units in order to patrol the shore line and prevent any attempt for the militants to receive help or escape by sea.

As of 17 September, over four hundred ISIL fighters are believed to have been killed.^[8]

First phase

On 23 September 2015, the Egyptian military spokesman announced the ending of the first phase of the operation, after 16 days, and resulting in the following:^[9]

1. The destruction of a vast network of militant-sanctuaries, weapons, ammunition and explosives storage warehouses.
2. Achieve full control over all the roads and the main axes and sub extended ones in the cities of Rafah, Sheikh Zuweid, Al-Arish, and the surrounding villages.
3. The destruction of a large number of armed trucks and motorcycles used by the militants in their operations.
4. The disposal of large amounts of explosives and IEDs.

Second phase

The second stage of the operation began on 7 October 2015, in commemoration of Egypt's victory in the 6 October War. The second phase included development projects and reconstruction of Northern Sinai cities that were damaged by fighting in the first phase of the operation as well as humanitarian aid to civilians in those areas.^[10]

Third phase

Fourth phase

See also

• Military intervention against ISIL
• Timeline of the Sinai insurgency

References

External links