Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — Egypt has reported the seizure of air defense systems in the turbulent Sinai Peninsula.

Officials said the Egyptian Army confiscated shoulder-fired air defense systems in northern Sinai. They identified the systems as the Russian-origin SA-7, captured near the Sinai border with the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

“Ten surface-to-air missiles were confiscated in raids of Sheik Zweid,” Gen. Osama Askar, the commander of Egypt’s 3rd Army, said.

In remarks on Sept. 8, Askar said the the SAMs were Russian-made and found in Islamist militia strongholds. The general did not say where the SAMs came from or their supplier.

Officials said the SA-7s were believed to have been delivered from the Gaza Strip. They said Hamas and Palestinian militias were playing a major role in the Islamic insurgency in northern Sinai.

“This model was one of the most dangerous weapons found since the war on terrorism in Sinai,” Askar said.

[On Sept. 11, at least nine people, most of them soldiers, were killed
in a car bombing that destroyed the Egyptian intelligence headquarters in
Rafah. Later, another two were killed in another bombing of an army armored
personnel carrier. The Al Qaida-aligned Ansar Beit Maqadas claimed
responsibility for the attacks.]

In a two-day offensive, the Egyptian military deployed 10 AH-64 Apache
attack helicopters as well as dozens of M1A1 main battle tanks in operations
against Rafah and Sheik Zweid. Officials said helicopters fired
air-to-ground missiles toward Al Qaida-aligned militias armed with
rocket-propelled grenades, SAMs and machine guns.

“This was different from previous operations by the coordination between
air and ground forces,” an official said.

  Ansar Beit Maqadas, Egypt captures Russian-made, Gen. Osama Askar, Rafah, SA-7, Sheik Zweid, shoulder-fired missiles in Sinai raids