Kidnapped Egypt security officer found dead in Sinai

An Egyptian security officer kidnapped in the Sinai peninsula was found dead on Tuesday, Egyptian security officials said.

The body of Ayman Dusuqi, who worked as a security officer at the Rafah crossing, was found with a bullet in the head south of Rafah early Tuesday.

He was kidnapped a day earlier by the Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis militant group.

Egypt's army launched large-scale military action in Sinai on Monday following the kidnapping, killing ten gunmen allegedly affiliated with the group.

Military officials say the latest escalation in the Sinai will be a "decisive round" for control of the peninsula, with Egyptian officials saying that the infrastructure of "terror" groups has been destroyed in the cities of Rafah, Sheikh Zuweid, and el-Arish.

Soldiers uncovered large weapons caches, including grenade launchers, grenades, and explosive devices. They also discovered two secret hospitals and a garage for 4WD vehicles.

Around 3,000 fighters loyal to the group remain in Sinai.

Egyptian security sources say that ongoing fighting in northern Sinai will take time to defeat militant groups and may require an additional 15 brigades and helicopters, which will require Israel's permission as per the terms of the Camp David agreement, which limits Egypt's military presence in Sinai.

In November, the Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis publicly announced its loyalty to the Islamic State.

In October, 30 Egyptian soldiers were killed in a suicide car bombing by suspected militants in Sinai, the most deadly attack on the country's security forces since the army deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

While south Sinai is dotted with tourist resorts on the Red Sea -- a popular destination for scuba divers -- the lawless north is a base for militants who have launched a wave of attacks, mostly targeting security forces.

In February, a suicide bomber killed three South Korean tourists in an attack on a bus in the south Sinai resort of Taba that was claimed by Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, the most active militant group in Egypt.

The group also tried to assassinate the interior minister in Cairo last year with a car bomb.

Since Morsi's ouster, more than 1,400 of his supporters have been killed in a crackdown by the authorities.

Over 15,000 others have been jailed, including Morsi and the top leadership of his Muslim Brotherhood, and more than 200 sentenced to death in speedy trials.