Updated February 10, 2018 12:02:31

Photo: The Islamic State Group in Sinai have posted images of attacks on Egyptian police on social media. (AP: Islamic State Group in Sinai)

Egypt has begun a massive security operation involving land, sea and air forces in areas including the restive northern Sinai Peninsula, the epicentre of an Islamic insurgency spearheaded by a local affiliate of the Islamic State group.

The operation, announced in a televised statement by army spokesman Colonel Tamer el-Rifaai, began early on Friday and covers central Sinai and areas in Egypt's Nile Delta and Western Desert.

He said the operation is targeting "terrorist and criminal elements and organisations", but gave no indication how long the operation would last.

In a subsequent statement, Colonel el-Rifaai said the Air Force carried out air strikes on militant hideouts in north and central Sinai.

He added that naval forces were deployed to cut off their supply lines and that security has been boosted around the country's border crossings, shipping routes and vital facilities.

Security officials said the forces killed at least 20 militants in the north Sinai town of Bir al-Abd.

They added that militants are also being targeted south and west of the town of Rafah, on the border with the Gaza Strip.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief the media.

Photo: Egypt's military says it has begun a major security operation in the restive northern Sinai Peninsula. (AP: Tarek Samy)

The operation began amid local media reports of heightened alert levels in north Sinai hospitals and in other neighbouring provinces in anticipation of casualties.

Local gas stations and shops were also ordered shut.

State of emergency

The military campaign comes ahead of the presidential election in March, in which President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi is running for a second four-year term with no serious contenders.

Mr al-Sisi was elected in 2014 in a landslide with promises of restoring security.

Egypt has for years been struggling to contain an Islamic insurgency in the turbulent Sinai region.

It has carried out military operations there that, it says, have killed hundreds of militants and soldiers over the years.

Egypt also built a buffer zone along the border with Gaza to curb the flow of militants and weapons through a vast tunnel network under the border.

The insurgency, nevertheless, shows no signs of abating.

Photo: President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi convened a high-level meeting of security officials after the attack on a mosque that killed 311. (AP: Egyptian Presidency)

In November, militants killed 311 worshippers in a mosque attack in the region, the deadliest in Egypt's modern history.

Militant attacks have generally surged since the 2013 military ouster of elected Islamist President Mohammed Morsi following mass protests against his divisive one-year rule.

The violence has been concentrated in northern Sinai Peninsula but has also spread to the mainland.

Egypt has been under a state of emergency after suicide bombings struck two Coptic Christian churches on Palm Sunday last year, in an attack that was claimed by the Egyptian affiliate of the Islamic State group.

AP

Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, terrorism, defence-and-national-security, islam, egypt

First posted February 10, 2018 11:44:54