The Egyptian army announced the launch today of a major operation in the Nile Delta and the northern Sinai Peninsula, heart of a persistent Islamic State group insurgency. The army said in a statement, police and troops have been put on "maximum alert" for the duration of Operation Sinai 2018. <br/><br/>The goal is to tighten control of border districts and clean up areas where there are terrorist hotbeds. Most of the violence has been in North Sinai province, but there have also been attacks on the military, police and even churches elsewhere, including Cairo.<br/><br/>President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is seeking re-election in polls next month, ordered the armed forces chief of staff to restore security in Sinai.