Egypt’s Air Force foiled an attempt to smuggle weapons, ammunition and explosives into the country across its borders with Libya, a military statement said Monday.
The Egyptian military managed to destroy eight vehicles loaded with ammunition and killed militants in the western desert, it added.
The Egyptian Air Force had been carrying out raids and operations for the past six years across its 1,150-km border with Libya to combat the smuggling of weapons.
But Monday’s air raids came a few days after Egyptian authorities announced that at least 16 policemen were killed in a brazen ambush by militants in the Al-Wahat Al-Bahriya area, about 135 km southwest of Cairo. A previous series of attacks in the same area was blamed on militants pouring in from Libya.
The Egyptian Army