(VOVworld) - Egypt's army killed 17 gunmen of the north Sinai-based Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis group on Tuesday. Security forces arrested six senior leaders of Ansar Bayt al- Maqdis who have been involved in Rafah massacres.

Weapons and explosives were seized and the security operation is still ongoing. Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis is always referred to as “al-Qaeda-linked” and listed among the terrorism groups by Egypt, the US, and other countries. This group has backed the Islamic State (IS) but has not formally vowed to be loyalty to the leader of IS.