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Egypt: 29 killed as Sinai attacks target security forces | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
A suspected jihadist car bomb has killed at least 26 Egyptian soldiers at a checkpoint in Sinai, officials say. | |
The attack took place near El Arish, the main town in the north of the restive peninsula. Three more died in a shooting in the town itself. | |
The bomb blast is one of the deadliest attacks in Sinai for months. At least 28 more people were injured. | |
The army has been fighting a campaign against Sinai-based militants, who have carried out a string of attacks there. | The army has been fighting a campaign against Sinai-based militants, who have carried out a string of attacks there. |
The area has become increasingly lawless since President Hosni Mubarak was overthrown in 2011. | The area has become increasingly lawless since President Hosni Mubarak was overthrown in 2011. |
Militants further stepped up their attacks after Islamist President Mohammed Morsi was ousted by the army last year. | Militants further stepped up their attacks after Islamist President Mohammed Morsi was ousted by the army last year. |
Security forces have been carrying out an offensive in northern Sinai, killing and capturing dozens of suspected members of jihadist groups. | Security forces have been carrying out an offensive in northern Sinai, killing and capturing dozens of suspected members of jihadist groups. |
Many of the casualties from the bomb blast were ferried to Cairo by helicopter. | |
Sources told the Reuters news agency that the bomb attack targeted two armoured vehicles which stopped at a checkpoint near an army installation. | |
Analysis: Orla Guerin, BBC News, Cairo | |
Once again militants have inflicted heavy losses on the army in Sinai. The increasingly lawless - and strategically important - peninsula is a battle ground between the security forces and the militants. | |
Their attacks have spiralled since the army ousted the Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in July 2013. A large-scale army offensive in Sinai has been unable to contain the violence, which has spread to other parts of Egypt including the capital and the Nile Delta. | |
Sinai is fertile ground for militant groups - thanks to poverty, official neglect, and discontent among the local Bedouin tribes. | |
The biggest threat so far is from the insurgents of Ansar Beit al Maqdis, (Champions of Jerusalem) Egypt's deadliest militant group. Like the so-called Islamic State, Ansar has taken to carrying out beheadings on camera. | |
One Ansar commander has said the Islamic state is advising it on how to operate more effectively. | |
But security officials gave differing accounts. One said a rocket-propelled grenade hit a truck carrying ammunition, which then exploded. | |
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi convened the National Defence Council for an emergency meeting in response to what his office called "a terrorist attack". | President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi convened the National Defence Council for an emergency meeting in response to what his office called "a terrorist attack". |
The second attack hit a checkpoint in El Arish. Three soldiers were shot dead, security sources said. | |
Islamic State | Islamic State |
No group has said they carried out the attacks. | |
In September at least 11 policemen were killed in a bomb attack on a convoy in the peninsula as it travelled through the village of Wefaq, near the Gaza border. | In September at least 11 policemen were killed in a bomb attack on a convoy in the peninsula as it travelled through the village of Wefaq, near the Gaza border. |
That bombing was claimed by Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, the most active militant group in Egypt. It attempted to kill the interior minister in Cairo in 2013 in a car bomb attack and has issued videos of the beheading of captives. | That bombing was claimed by Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, the most active militant group in Egypt. It attempted to kill the interior minister in Cairo in 2013 in a car bomb attack and has issued videos of the beheading of captives. |
The group professes backing for Islamic State (IS) group jihadists in Iraq and Syria, although it has not formally pledged its support. | The group professes backing for Islamic State (IS) group jihadists in Iraq and Syria, although it has not formally pledged its support. |