Revenge Battle - 1st of July 2015 Egyptian Army Operation in North Sinai

This is a summary of Egyptian Army Operation In North of Sinai against Jihad militants declaring themselves as ‘Welayat Sinaa’ organization (Welayat Sinaa means State of Sinai).

Operation Giving Name: 

Revenge Battle

Day: 

Wednesday July 1, 2015

Hour: 

6:55 AM

Location:   North of Sinai – Sheikh Zowayed and Rafah cities

Jihad militants in North of Sinai had a plan to get their hands on Shiekh Zowayed city to declare it as the first city that falls in their hands in the way to establish Islamic Stats as they call it in North of Sinai.

Jihad militants plan was to attack Egyptian Army checkpoints and fulcrums in Rafah and Shiekh Zowayed cities using bombed cars and armed groups of big number of militants in each group.

At the 1st of July 6:55 AM, groups of Jihad militants attacked some Egyptian army checkpoints and Shiekh Zowayed police station.

1. Abu Refaie Chekpoint

Abu Refaie checkpoint force; a number of 17 soldiers and 1 officer were able to instantly deal with bombed car with suicidal driver heading towards checkpoint area but car explosion resulted in a strong explosion wave that was able to seriously affect the checkpoint.

Checkpoint force bravely stood for the checkpoint and started dealing with group of militants which attacked checkpoint right after car explosion.

Before the car bombed, a M60 tank moved backward (mostly to avoid estimated explosion wave) and then started attacking Jihad militants. 

As militants attack became heavy on Abu Refaie checkpoint, Officer in charge gave order to start dealing using F1 grenades and that was the time when strong side became the checkpoint force as they used 20 F1 grenades against Jihadist attack.

When Jihad militants started to fall down profusely (19 militants were eliminated during attack), 2 4X4 cars with some militants on board escaped towards Sheikh Zowayed city direction.

    2. Al Hgag Checkpoint 

At the same time of Al Refaai checkpoint attack, 40-50 Jihad militants armed with light, medium guns, Mortars and RBJs started an attack on Al Haggag checkpoint by sending a bombed car with suicidal driver to attack checkpoint.

When the bombed car started reaching Al Haggag checkpoint, and as security procedures state, a soldier gave a sign to car driver to stop but the driver didn’t comply so the soldier started dealing with car using his arm gun which resulted in car explosion. 

“We dealt with them for 7 hours” – that was said by one of checkpoint soldiers.. “They started calling cars to come and pick up their dead from the field”... “What we killed is double bodies collected”… “They had Army Uniform but not our Egyptian army uniform”.

At the same time of Abu Refaie and Al Haggag checkpoints attacks, moving groups of Jihad militants on 4X4 cars and motorbikes started direct shooting attacks against some other checkpoints:

• Sheikh Zowaed gate Checkpoint
• Sedrat Checkpoint
• Masora checkpoint
• Al Wah’shi checkpoint
• Garada checkpoint
• Sholak checkpoint
• Obaydat checkpoint
• Kabr Omayra checkpoint

Jihad militants also, raised their black flag over some buildings and started shooting photo shots to use on internet social media claiming that they had hand over Shiekh Zowayed city at the same time publishing fake announcements and pictures through some internet social media channels and TV channels claiming successful attacks against Egyptian army.

During all checkpoints attacks and as checkpoints forces were able to defeat militants attacks, Jihad militants with cars and motorbikes started to escape towards South of Shiekh Zowaed city.

At the time checkpoints forces were dealing with these attacks, , Egyptian Apache helicopters  were sending concentrated shots towards 2 Jihadists centers South International Checkpoint #6 and inside Shiekh Zowaed city and some of 4X4 cars which escaped during attacks on checkpoints.

“Help us! Help us! We are injured. Help us! Help us! We are injured” – Egyptian technical army units also, captured a SOS transmission from who seem to be a Jihad militant asking for support because they are receiving heavy strikes from Egyptian army.

Army sent out reserve centralized forces towards Rafah and Sheikh Zowaed cities from Al Zohor camp to start patrolling to quickly follow escaping Jihadist militants and eliminate them.

At the same time, security measures on the border with Gaza section to prevent Jihad militants from escaping through hidden funnels.

During the follow up of escaping militants, Egyptian army forces started to collect dead Jihadist militants, evacuate their dead and injured army officers and soldiers to hospitals and put the full control over on Rafah and Shiekh Zowaed cities and reset the security condition as it was before.