The Egyptian armed forces have prevented almost 5,000 attempts by migrants to illegally cross the border and destroyed 10 tunnels dug by smugglers during an operation in northern Sinai, military spokesman Tamer Rifai said in a statement on Tuesday
CAIRO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st April, 2020) The Egyptian armed forces have prevented almost 5,000 attempts by migrants to illegally cross the border and destroyed 10 tunnels dug by smugglers during an operation in northern Sinai, military spokesman Tamer Rifai said in a statement on Tuesday.
"Border guards managed to detain 300 perpetrators and prevent illegal migration of 4,710 nationals of various countries," Rifai said in a statement obtained by Sputnik, adding that "10 tunnels were also found and destroyed in the north of Sinai."
According to the statement, the Egyptian military has confiscated 271 vehicles used by smugglers, sniper rifles, machine guns, revolvers and about 300,000 bullets of various calibers.
They have also seized 3.5 million narcotic pills and roughly four tonnes of hashish, the statement read.
The north of the Sinai Peninsula has long been Egypt's most tense region due to the presence of violent extremists there. Militants frequently conduct attacks against police and army on the peninsula. The Egyptian armed forces have been leading a large-scale counterterrorist operation in the area for over two years now.
