Militants attack Egyptian army checkpoints in Sinai, kill 50/Israel closes crossings with Egypt & Gaza/Egyptian security sources: Dozens killed in Sinai terror attacks
Militants attack Egyptian army checkpoints in Sinai, kill 50
Agencies/ July 01, 2015 |
EL-ARISH, Egypt: Islamic militants Wednesday unleashed a wave of simultaneous attacks, including suicide car bombings, on Egyptian army checkpoints in the restive northern Sinai Peninsula, killing at least 50 soldiers, security and military officials said. The coordinated morning assaults in Sinai came a day after Egypt’s president pledged to step up the battle against Islamic militants and two days after the country’s state prosecutor was assassinated in the capital, Cairo.
The scope and intensity of the attacks underscored the resilience and advanced planning by the militants who have for years battled Egyptian security forces in northern Sinai but intensified their insurgency over the past two years just as the government threw more resources into the drawn-out fight. An ISIS affiliate in Egypt claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attacks, saying its fighters targeted a total of 15 army and police positions and staged three suicide bombings, two of which targeted checkpoints and one that hit an officers’ club in the nearby city of Al-Arish. The authenticity of the claim could not be immediately verified but it was posted on a Facebook page associated with the group.
Except for the attack at the officers’ club, the rest took place in the town of Sheikh Zuweid and targeted at least six military checkpoints, the officials said. The militants also took soldiers captive and seized weapons and several armored vehicles, they added, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. At least 46 other soldiers were wounded, the officials said. As fighting raged, an army Apache gunship destroyed one of the armored carriers captured by the militants as they were driving it away, the officials added.
Egypt’s military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Mohammad Samir, said clashes were still underway in the area between the armed forces and the militants. His statement put the number of soldiers killed so far at 10, but the conflicting numbers could not immediately be reconciled in the immediate aftermath of a major attack. Samir’s statement, posted on his official Facebook page, said some 70 militants attacked five checkpoints in northern Sinai and that Egyptian troops killed 22 off them and destroyed three all-terrain vehicles fitted with antiaircraft guns.
The officials said scores of militants were besieging Sheikh Zuweid’s main police station, shelling it with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades and exchanging fire with dozens of policemen inside. Northern Sinai has over the past two years witnessed a series of complex and successful attacks targeting Egyptian security forces, many of which have been claimed by a local affiliate of ISIS. Two of the six checkpoints attacked Wednesday were completely destroyed, the officials said. Army checkpoints in the area routinely have between 50 and 60 soldiers. The ISIS statement said the two checkpoints were hit by suicide bombers.
The attacks came just two days after the assassination in Cairo of the country’s top prosecutor, Hisham Barakat, and one day after President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi vowed to step up a two-year crackdown on militants. Last week, ISIS spokesman Abu Mohammad al-Adnani called in an audio message on ISIS followers to launch massive attacks during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is now entering its third week.
Militants in northern Sinai, which borders Israel and the Gaza Strip, have battled security forces for years but stepped up their attacks following the July 2013 military ouster of Islamist President Mohammad Morsi after days of mass street protests against his rule.
Sisi, then the nation’s army chief, led the ouster and went to become Egypt’s president, winning a landslide election a year ago on a ticket that emphasized security and economic recovery. Wednesday’s attacks came in swift response to Sisi’s pledge the previous day to carry out justice for the prosecutor general’s assassination – and possibly move to execute Muslim Brotherhood leaders, an Islamist group from which Morsi hails. Pounding his fist as he spoke Tuesday at the funeral of Barakat, who led the prosecution and oversaw scores of cases against thousands of Islamists, Sisi’s comments seemed to signal an even tougher campaign on the Brotherhood, Egypt’s oldest Islamist group that is now outlawed and declared a terrorist organization.
Egypt has since Morsi’s ouster waged a crackdown that has led to thousands of arrests, mass convictions and death sentences. Morsi is among those condemned to die, but has a potentially lengthy appeal process ahead of him. Sisi said the government was ready to brush aside criticisms and free the judiciary’s hand for a “battle” the country is prepared to wage. “The judiciary is restricted by laws, and swift justice is also restricted by laws. We will not wait for that,” Sisi said. Action will be taken within days “to enable us to execute the law, and bring justice as soon as possible,” he said. “We will stand in the face of the whole world, and fight the whole world.”In a thinly veiled reference to jailed members of the Brotherhood, Sisi blamed the violence on those “issuing orders from behind bars,” and warned: “If there is a death sentence, it will be carried out.”
Israel closes crossings with Egypt, Gaza, following ISIS Sinai terror attacks
JPOST.COM STAFF/REUTERS/07/01/2015/Israel closed the Niztana and Kerem Shalom border crossings Wednesday following militant attacks in Egypt’s North Sinai that killed at least 50 in one of the biggest coordinated assaults yet in the insurgency-hit province.
Islamic State’s Egypt affiliate, Sinai Province, claimed responsibility for the attacks against security forces in North Sinai, according to a statement on Twitter. The group said it had attacked more than 15 security sites, and had carried out three suicide attacks.
The IDF was closely monitoring the border area with Egypt and Gaza in light of the events. It was second high-profile action in Egypt this week. On Monday, the prosecutor-general was killed in a car bombing in Cairo, raising questions about the government’s ability to contain the insurgency. The army said five checkpoints were attacked by about 70 militants and that soldiers had destroyed three land-cruisers fitted with anti-aircraft guns. Security sources said militants were surrounding a police station in the town of Sheikh Zuweid and had planted bombs around it to prevent forces from leaving.
Doctor Osama el-Sayed of El-Arish General Hospital in the provincial capital said 30 bodies had been brought in, “some of whom were wearing army fatigues”. The exact breakdown of identities of those killed was not immediately clear. Security sources had said at least 20 security personnel were killed and 40 wounded. The army spokesman said 22 of the attackers were killed and 10 soldiers were killed or wounded. Security sources said the militants had planted bombs along a road between Sheikh Zuweid and an army camp to prevent the movement of any army supplies or reinforcements. Meanwhile, Apache helicopters and F-16 planes strafed the area. The insurgency based in the Sinai is seeking to topple the Cairo government and has managed to defy one of the toughest security crackdowns in Egypt’s history.
It has intensified since 2013, when then-army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi removed President Mohamed Morsi, an Islamist, after mass protests against his rule. Hundreds of policemen and soldiers have been killed in attacks since then. The most active militant group in the region is Sinai Province, which has pledged allegiance to Islamic State. It said in Wednesday’s statement that it had attacked more than 15 security sites and carried out three suicide bombings. The group had urged its followers to escalate attacks during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan which started in mid-June, though it did not specify Egypt as a target. In a recent tactic, Sinai Province has fired rockets at the direction of an airport used by multinational peacekeeping forces. In late April, the army extended by three months a state of emergency imposed in parts of Sinai since October after 33 security personnel were killed in an attack claimed by Sinai Province. The army has taken several measures to crush the insurgency. Aside from bombardments in the region, they have destroyed tunnels into the Palestinian-ruled Gaza Strip and created a security buffer zone in northern Sinai.
The army was also digging a trench along the border with Gaza in an effort to prevent smuggling. The measures have stoked resentment among some residents, who say they rely on the smuggling trade through the tunnels and complain of neglect by the state. Tuesday also marked the second anniversary of protests that preceded the overthrow of Morsi. President Sisi said he would bring in tougher legal measures in coming days after the killing of the prosecutor, Hisham Barakat, the most senior Egyptian official to die in such an attack in years. Sisi’s government does not distinguish between the now-outlawed Brotherhood and other militants. The Brotherhood says it is committed to peaceful activism.
Egyptian security sources: Dozens killed in Sinai terror attacks REUTERS/07/01/2015/ISMAILIA, Egypt – At least 20 Egyptian security forces were killed when suspected militants attacked checkpoints in North Sinai on Wednesday, security sources said, in one of the biggest coordinated assaults in the province. Five checkpoints were attacked by about 70 militants, an army spokesman said, adding that 22 of the attackers had been killed and 10 soldiers killed or wounded. The sources said a police station was also targeted and that 20 members of the security forces were killed, without specifying whether they were all soldiers. North Sinai is the epicenter of an insurgency seeking to topple the Cairo government. Hundreds of policemen and soldiers have been killed in attacks since the army toppled Islamist president Mohamed Morsi after mass protests against his rule in 2013. The most active militant group in the region is Sinai Province, which has pledged allegiance to Islamic State. That group had urged its followers to escalate attacks during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan which started in mid-June, though it did not specify Egypt as a target. Earlier this week, Egypt’s top public prosecutor was assassinated in a car bomb attack on his convoy in Cairo, raising questions about the country’s ability to contain the insurgency. Tuesday also marked the second anniversary of protests that preceded the ouster of Morsi.
