Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — Egypt has been battling Muslim Brotherhood forces that seek to establish an Islamist enclave in the Arab state.

Officials said the Egyptian Army was battling Brotherhood units that sought to take over communities in remote areas of the country.

The officials said the units contained trained and armed Islamist fighters that organized attacks on government facilities and Christian communities.

“They have taken advantage of the security vacuum, particularly outside the big cities,” an official said.

On Sept. 16, the Army stormed a town south of Cairo ruled by a Brotherhood militia since July 2013. Officials said the Army, which backed the police, deployed AH-64 Apache attack helicopters and M1A1 main battle tanks in the takeover of Dalga, population 120,000, a sixth of whom were Christians.

“It was a rapid operation, and most of the terrorists fled,” the official said.

Officials said the Brotherhood militias also contained members of Al
Qaida-aligned groups, including Gamiat Islamiya. Under Egypt’s first
Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi, Gamiat was allowed to conduct political
activities, and a former leader was appointed governor.

The Brotherhood militias were believed to have been financed by Al Qaida
supporters in the Gulf. Officials said the militias also extorted money from
Christians and other non-Muslims.

On Sept. 19, police, backed by helicopters and armored personnel
carriers, stormed another Egyptian town controlled by the Brotherhood.
Officials said a police general was killed in fighting in Kerdasa, a town on
the outskirts of Cairo. At least 65 suspected insurgents were captured.

“The security forces will not retreat until Kerdasa is cleansed of all
terrorist and criminal nests,” Interior Ministry spokesman Hani Abdel Latif
said.

  Dalga, Egyptian Army storms Muslim Brotherhood enclaves seeking to control Christian areas, Gamiat Islamiya, Kerdasa, Mohammed Morsi