Militants release seven Egyptians kidnapped in Sinai

Seven Egyptian security men kidnapped by Islamist militants in Sinai last week were freed yesterday and President Mohamed Morsi vowed to pursue a crackdown on lawlessness in the desert peninsula.

The abduction underlined the threat posed by jihadists who have exploited a security vacuum that opened up in the isolated Sinai after the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak. The state has struggled to restore order there since.

The militants have launched attacks on Israel and targets in North Sinai, where security problems have been exacerbated by a flow of weaponry smuggled from Libya.

An Israeli defence official, speaking after the release of the seven, said it was vital that Egypt succeed in crushing terrorism.

“I call on everyone in Sinai who has weapons to turn them in. This nation is bigger than all of us and weapons can only be in the hands of the government,” Morsi said after greeting the ex-hostages on their arrival at a military airport in Cairo.

“This is not a short-term operation that ends, and (the release of) our sons without a drop of blood being spilt is the first part of it,” he added.