CAIRO (AA) – Egyptian army and security forces stormed on Thursday the Giza town of Kerdasa, arresting 68 wanted people and seizing eleven hand grenades and an unspecified number of machineguns.
In a statement late Thursday, the Interior Ministry said security forces were able to arrest 68 people wanted by the prosecution.
It also announced the seizure of 11 hand grenades, five sound bombs, an unspecified number of machineguns and a cache of bullets.
Early today, Egyptian army and police forces stormed the town with the stated aim of arresting wanted "militants and terrorists."
As many as 200 Special Forces members and 40 men of Central Security Forces (riot police) teams, in addition to army troops, reportedly took part in the operation.
Security forces took control of the local police station, which had been attacked last month after Egyptian authorities violently dispersed two protest camps set up by supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi in Cairo's Rabaa al-Adawiya Square and Giza's Nahda Square.
Eyewitnesses said security forces raided the homes of several local Muslim Brotherhood leaders in Kerdasa.
They also dispersed groups of residents by firing live rounds into the air.
Army and police helicopters, meanwhile, could be seen hovering above.
Security forces besieged agricultural areas adjacent to the town, while the army beefed up its presence along the town's desert hinterland to prevent suspects from escaping.
Two policemen, including Giza's deputy security chief Nabil Farag, were killed during the operation.
The Egyptian Forensic Authority said Farag, Giza's deputy security chief, was killed by a bullet fired from a distance of between ten and 20 meters.
Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim said the general's killing had left Egyptian security forces "more determined to eliminate terrorists" from the flashpoint town.
Security forces, he said in a statement, "are resolved to hunt down all criminals and terrorists in Kerdasa and restore security and stability to the Egyptian street."
Today's raid ostensibly aimed to arrest 140 wanted individuals in connection to last month's attack on the local police station and confiscate stockpiles of heavy weapons believed to be in the town.
Last month, militants attacked the Kerdasa police station, lynching 11 security personnel in the process.
While local media had blamed the police station attack on Morsi supporters, Kerdasa residents dismiss these claims, saying that leading Muslim Brotherhood members and Morsi supporters had been in Rabaa and Nahda squares at the time.
Kerdasa is one of several areas in Egypt where pro-Morsi demonstrations have continued unabated since the Islamist leader's July 3 ouster by the powerful army.
by Mohamed Ammar
englishnews@aa.com.tr
