Unknown gunmen kill two Egyptian soldiers in Sinai
At least two Egyptian soldiers have been killed in a surprise attack by unidentified armed men against a security checkpoint in the violence-plagued Sinai Peninsula.
Security sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the militants ambushed the post in the border town of Rafah, located some 350 kilometers (217 miles) northeast of the capital, Cairo, on Thursday, Arabic-language Sky News Arabia news network reported.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the act of violence; however, such attacks are usually blamed on Velayat Sinai Takfiri militants.
The development comes a day after an Egyptian AH-64 Apache attack helicopter on Friday pounded a militant hideout in Sahel al-Bahr of Rafah, killing 15 militants.
Six other militants were also killed on Wednesday when another Egyptian chopper carried out attacks on targets in the southern Matalla town, situated approximately 344 kilometers (213 miles) northeast from the capital. Egyptian forces also destroyed a warehouse used for stockpiling munitions and explosive devices in the process.
A state of emergency has been declared in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula since a militant attack on an Egyptian army checkpoint killed more than 30 soldiers in October 2014.
The Egyptian military considers the Sinai Peninsula a safe haven for gunmen, who use the region as a base for their “acts of terror.”
Since the ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, gunmen have launched terrorist attacks in Sinai, killing Egyptian security forces.
Velayat Sinai militants, previously known as Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, have claimed responsibility for most of the attacks in the region. The group pledged allegiance to the ISIL terrorist group last November.
MP/HJL/HMV
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