On April 18, the Egyptian Defense Ministry announced that its forces had killed a man identified as the leader of ISIS in the Sinai Peninsula this week. According to the Ministry of Defense, Nasser Abu Zaqoul was killed during the army’s large-scale operation in the southern part of the Sinai Peninsula. Army troops found a rifle, two grenades and a large quantity of ammunition with the slain terrorist leader.
The announcement came just a few days after 8 soldiers were killed and 15 wounded when militants wearing explosive belts blew themselves up in an attack on a military base in central Sinai. The Egyptian military launched a major operation against ISIS on February 9 in the Sinai Peninsula in an attempt to neutralise the terrorist group.