Egypt army kills top jihadi operative in Sinai

A high-ranking jihadi operative from the al-Qaeda inspired Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis group was shot and killed Thursday during clashes with the Egyptian military in the northern Sinai peninsula, near the Rafah border crossing into the Gaza Strip, Egyptian security sources said.

Mohamed Abu Shatiya, who served as a field commander for the group, is believed to have taken part in the kidnapping of seven Egyptian soldiers in Sinai last year, Reuters reported.

The army said it later uncovered two tons of explosive in a tunnel near the site of the clashes. The tunnel was said to lead across the Egyptian border and into the Gaza Strip.

An underground hospital used by the jihadi group was discovered at the site as well, according to Israel Radio.

Based in the northern Sinai, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis has spearheaded attacks that have killed scores of policemen and soldiers since the army overthrew Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in July 2013.

It says the attacks are to avenge the killing of pro-Morsi protesters by the army and police, a crackdown that has left at least 1,400 dead.