Egypt

Sinai checkpoint attacked for 34th time

Anonymous gunmen attacked the Rayesa checkpoint outside Arish in Sinai on Friday morning, the 34th such attack in the last 19 months.

Security forces exchanged fire with the assailants, who fled. There were no injuries.  

Eyewitnesses said that gunmen targeted the checkpoint from the south of the international road and the high mountain areas surrounding it.

The troops combed the surrounding areas, in addition to inspecting the passing cars and questioning their occupants.

Rayesa checkpoint has been attacked 34 times since the beginning of the 25 January revolution, most recently on 31 August.

The checkpoint is located on the international road leading to Rafah at the east entrance of Arish. It is manned by joint forces of the police and Armed Forces.

A number of checkpoints in Sinai were targeted in August. Egyptian authorities have speculated that radical groups are behind these attacks.

The Armed Forces cracked down on militant networks in Sinai following the 5 August attack on a checkpoint near Rafah that killed 16 soldiers.

The army says 11 militants have been killed and 23 arrested, 11 vehicles impounded and weapons seized including five boxes of Israeli-made ammunition.

The crackdown has the cautious approval of Israel, which is alarmed by the increasing audacity of Sinai militants.

Edited translation from MENA
 

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