Publish date25 Oct 2014 - 9:07
Story Code : 172139

Attacks in Sinai Peninsula kill 31 Egyptian soldiers

The death toll from a recent assault on Egyptian security forces in the volatile Sinai Peninsula has risen to 31, making it the deadliest single attack on the country’s army in decades.
Attacks in Sinai Peninsula kill 31 Egyptian soldiers


On Friday, Egyptian security sources said a bomber had rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into an army checkpoint in an area near the northern Sinai town of el-Arish, close to the border with the Gaza Strip.

Following the bomb attack, the assailants fired rocket-propelled grenades that hit a tank carrying ammunition, causing a second explosion.

At least 31 soldiers lost their lives and some 30 others were also wounded in the assault, which was described as “well-planned” by Egyptian security officials.

In another incident, armed men shot dead an officer and injured two soldiers at another checkpoint located south of el-Arish.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks so far.

Following the Friday assaults, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi held an emergency meeting of the National Defense Council to discuss the new spate of violence in Sinai, and announced three days of mourning in the country.

The council also declared a state of emergency “for a duration of three months” in the northern and central parts of the Sinai Peninsula.

The Sinai Peninsula has long been considered a safe haven for gunmen who use the region as a base for their acts of terror.

Since the ouster of Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s former president, on July 3 last year, gunmen have launched almost daily attacks in Sinai, killing members of security forces.

Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, an al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group, has claimed responsibility for most of the terrorist attacks in the restive region.

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