Egypt: four soldiers were killed in North Sinai attack launched by ISIS

Egyptian soldiers in North Sinai
(Image: Ahram Online)

Egypt’s based Sinai Province group, an ISIS affiliate, has claimed responsibility for an attack against Egyptian Armed Forces carried out in North Sinai on Thursday, 23 July.

An Armed Forces official spokesperson Mohamed Samir stated that the bombing struck the military vehicle in the village near the border city of Rafah. The roadside bomb, that hit the armored vehicle, killed four soldiers, among them one officer, and left three soldiers injured, according to the official statement.

Vilayat Sinai (Sinai Province) that pledged allegiance to ISIS earlier this year announced in its Twitter statement that the group has carried out this attack against Egyptian security forces. It was not immediately possible to independently verify the authenticity of this statement, though the ISIS affiliated militant group has claimed responsibility for other terrorist attacks carried out recently against Egyptian military in the restive North Sinai and in Cairo as well.

At least seven soldiers were killed in two separate bombings of the military checkpoints near the city of Sheilh Zuweid on the first day of Islamic holiday Eid Al-Fitr, on 17 July. The ISIS militants attacked the checkpoints with the mortars and live ammunition. Egyptian army launched anti-terrorist operation following an attack, with the air strikes targeting the militants’ positions, headquarters and bases. The operation left at least 59 militants dead, according to the official statement of Egyptian Armed Forces.

ISIS affiliated Sinai Province group, former Ansar Beyt Al-Maqdis, also claimed responsibility for the recent attack of an Egyptian naval vessel in Mediterranean Sea, near the Israeli and Gaza border. Massive bombing of an Italian Consulate in Cairo that left one person dead and terribly damaged the building was also carried out by the ISIS affiliated group.

Egypt suffers from the numerous terrorist attacks against its military, security forces and civilians as well since the ouster of the Islamist backed President Mohamed Morsi. Northern Sinai region is particularly affected by the radical jihadists’ insurgency, with dozens of attacks that left hundreds Egyptian soldiers and policemen dead since summer 2013.

Egyptian Armed Forces and police launch massive military and anti-terrorist operations in the region in order to eliminate the terrorist activity and to restore peace, security and stability. In the wake of the increasing terrorist activity in Egypt and in Middles eastern countries Egypt calls on other states including the Western countries to join the global fight with the jihadist terrorism and ISIS threat as it is about peace and stability not only in the Middles Eastern and North African region, but in the entire world.