A local leader of Islamic State’s branch in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula was killed, the group and a security source said.
The group identified him as Abu Jaafar al-Maqdesi and released a poster-like mourning notice titled “Caravans of shuhada (martyrs)” with a photo of a smiling, bearded man wearing a coat and a cap.
“Brother Abu Jaafar al-Maqdesi, may God accept him,” a brief message posted on the group’s telegram channel read, without giving details on where, when or how he was killed.
An Egyptian security source identified the man as the head of Islamic State in the Mediterranean town Sheikh Zuweid, located near the Gaza Strip border.
The Egyptian army, backed by security forces, killed hundreds of suspected militants in a major operation that began in February targeting insurgents apparently behind attacks against military and civilian targets in the Sinai.
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