Egyptian air force pounds Sinai militants

CAIRO: Egypt’s air force pounded militant targets in northern and central Sinai early on Saturday, the military said, the second day of an assault to try and crush an insurgency that has killed hundreds of people since 2013. President Abdel Fattah al Sisi, who is seeking re-election in March, ordered the armed forces in November to defeat militants within three months after an attack on a mosque killed more than 300 people. Insurgents have been targeting security forces since 2013 when the army led by Sisi, then the army chief, ousted president Mohamed Mursi, of the Brotherhood, following mass protests against his rule. The military said its warplanes struck “terrorist concentrations and hideouts” in northern and central Sinai through the night and into the early hours of Saturday, targeting weapons warehouses and logistics support areas. On the ground, special forces, working with police, conducted raids inside cities in Sinai to seize militants, military spokesman Colonel Tamer al Rifai said. — Reuters