Since February 2018, the Egyptian army has been conducting large-scale operations to eradicate jihadists, particularly the Islamic State “Province of Sinai.”
A creepy 13-minute video posted Saturday to the Telegram by the jihadist group responsible for a series of atrocities records the execution of the three men. One of them was a 62-year-old Egyptian Christian cutter.
In a statement issued Sunday, the Coptic Church named the man executed as Nabil Habashi Salama, saying he had been abducted five months ago by “Takfiri elements”, using a term referring to Sunni extremists.
The IK has claimed responsibility in recent years for many bloody attacks on Copts, the largest Christian minority in the Middle East. It is estimated that 10 to 15% of the approximately 100 million inhabitants of Egypt, a country with a predominantly Muslim population.
In the same video, two young men posing as members of the Bedouin Tarabin tribe were executed in the desert using firearms. The jihadists accused them of taking part in battles on the side of the Egyptian army.
As of 2018, some 970 extremists have been killed in Sinai, as well as dozens of members of the security forces, according to official figures.
However, there is no account that has been verified by independent sources. Journalists are not allowed access to northern Sinai.
