BICOM

Serious clashes occurred on the outskirts of the Egyptian capital Cairo yesterday as the country’s military attempted to reassert control over an area which has become an Islamist stronghold since the ouster of Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood in July.

The area security chief, General Nabil Farrah told AFP that there had been “A heavy exchange of gunfire ensued between the security forces and the terrorists” in the village of Kerdasa near Cairo, which resulted in the death of a police officer. Television footage showed armoured personnel carriers on the streets and security forces said that they had seized dozens of weapons including rocket-propelled grenade launchers. Similar clashes took place earlier this week in the southern town of Delga.

The operations added to the tension between Egypt’s military rulers and Islamist groups in the country. Egyptian forces recently launched a major military offensive in the Sinai Peninsula, which borders both Israel and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, as the area has become a significant base for Islamist groups to attack the Egyptian army in the wake of Morsi’s ouster. As part of the operation, Egyptian forces have cracked down on smuggling tunnels beneath the Egypt-Gaza border, which Egyptian authorities believe have been a major conduit for Hamas to aid the supply of weapons and fighters to Islamist groups.

The uncertainty in Sinai has posed a threat to Israel’s southern border. Last month, Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile defence system successfully intercepted a rocket fired at the southern resort city of Eilat. This followed the firing of two Grad rockets at Eilat from Sinai in April, which landed in open areas without causing any damage. Earlier this month, the national carrier El Al temporarily cancelled flights to Eilat citing safety concerns, while last month Eilat airport was temporarily closed to air traffic due to an unspecified security threat.