An Egyptian fighter jet crashed during military drills in Sinai province on Wednesday, killing its pilot, announced army spokesman Colonel Tamer al-Rifai. Rifai said that an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident had been launched. “During training exercises conducted by the Egyptian Air Force on 14/1/2020, a military aircraft went down, resulting in the death of its pilot,” Rifai said in a statement, adding: “We are now working to uncover what caused the crash.” He didn’t give further details. Earlier, Egypt’s Armed Forces launched military exercises “Qader 2020” in strategic positions nationwide to increase the army’s readiness to protect the country amid recent regional developments, including the armed conflict in Libya. The spokesman said that elements of the Second and Third Field Armies and the Central and Southern Regions have carried out a number of combat activities in cooperation with all the main branches and the general command of the armed forces. The drills began last Friday, days after Turkey announced the deployment of forces in Libya to support Fayez al-Sarraj’s Government of National Accord (GNA) against Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar. According to the statement, Tuesday’s activities included elements of the Second Field Army that executed a number of raids on terrorist outposts in North Sinai. They also trained in enhancing security measures in tunnels, crossings, and ferries. Furthermore, drills focused on ensuring security measures for navigation along the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean coast, in cooperation with Air and Naval Forces. Elements of the Third Field Army also carried out a number of drills in raiding terrorist outposts in Central Sinai, while continuing to secure navigation at the Suez Canal, in cooperation with the Air and Naval Forces. They also trained on securing vital targets and tourist destinations in Central and Southern Sinai. The training included elements from the Central Military Region, which carried out drills to assist Field Armies and military areas, while elements of the Southern Military Region raised the levels of readiness by securing the Southern border with Sudan and Libya and carrying out many activities within the Region.