The Egyptian Armed Forces announced, on Saturday, that eleven soldiers were killed on Saturday while attempting to prevent a "terrorist attack on the Suez Canal zone bordering the Sinai Peninsula."

Five soldiers were also injured, and security forces "are continuing to chase the terrorists and surround them in an isolated area of Sinai," according to the army.

In a statement to reporters, an Egyptian forces spokesperson said that "a group of takfiri elements carried out an attack on a water pumping station Saturday east of the Suez Canal," adding that "security forces continue to clash with the attacking militants."

The Egyptian military official affirmed that “the army will eliminate the activities of terrorist groups, and uproot the insurgency from the peninsula”.

Last August, the General Command of the Egyptian Armed Forces issued a statement, on Sunday, announcing that 89 militants were killed in Northern Sinai as part of a massive military operation to eradicate “terrorists” in the area.

It is worth mentioning that the Egyptian military forces had conducted a month-long ground and air campaign in May 2020 to target armed organizations and militants, as well as their logistical equipment.