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Militants Kill Egyptian Security Forces in Deadly Attack Militants Kill Egyptian Security Forces in Devastating Ambush
(about 2 hours later)
CAIRO — Militants ambushed a convoy of Egyptian police and security officials deep inside the western desert late Friday in the deadliest attack on security forces in years, security officials said on Saturday. CAIRO — Militants carried out a devastating ambush on a convoy of Egyptian police and security officials deep inside the western desert late Friday in the deadliest such attack in years, security officials said on Saturday.
At least 59 Egyptian police officers and security officials were killed, security officials said. In a statement issued later, the Interior Ministry put the casualties much lower — 16 officers killed and 13 wounded — but did not immediately explain the discrepancy. Its statement also claimed that the police had killed or wounded about 15 militants.At least 59 Egyptian police officers and security officials were killed, security officials said. In a statement issued later, the Interior Ministry put the casualties much lower — 16 officers killed and 13 wounded — but did not immediately explain the discrepancy. Its statement also claimed that the police had killed or wounded about 15 militants.
At least eight police vehicles were hit while driving toward what was believed to be a militant hide-out, about 85 miles from Cairo, following an intelligence tip. Militants who were lying in wait raked the convoy with gunfire and rockets from higher ground, police officials said.At least eight police vehicles were hit while driving toward what was believed to be a militant hide-out, about 85 miles from Cairo, following an intelligence tip. Militants who were lying in wait raked the convoy with gunfire and rockets from higher ground, police officials said.
Hasm, an Islamist militant group that has attacked judges and security posts since it emerged last year, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted online. The statement could not be immediately verified. An initial claim of responsibility by Hasm, a small Islamist group that emerged last year, was discounted by militancy experts who questioned its authenticity. There was no other claim.
After the ambush, the militants went through the disabled vehicles, seizing weapons and executing survivors, said the Egyptian official, who insisted on speaking anonymously in order to provide sensitive information about the ambush. He provided audio recordings of conversations between two police officers who had radioed their headquarters for help as they fled for safety. The exact circumstances of the ambush were still emerging Saturday evening as Egyptian officials scrambled to secure the remote area in Giza Province. The last attack on such a scale occurred in 2015 when militants killed at least 50 police and army personnel in a series of coordinated attacks in Sinai.
“The guys are behind us, chasing us in their cars,” one officer can be heard saying. He describes being lost in the desert in the only vehicle that managed to escape the fusillade of gunfire. He was traveling with two others, one of whom was wounded. Officials said that Friday’s attack occurred in the late evening when the police convoy, led by senior counterterrorism officers and including armored vehicles, turned off a main highway south of Cairo and drove 11 miles into the desert.
“They took all the weapons and ammunition. We are hiding under a mountain,” says a second officer, stuttering as he speaks. After the ambush, the militants went through the disabled vehicles, seizing weapons and executing survivors, said an Egyptian official, who insisted on speaking anonymously in order to provide sensitive information. He provided audio recordings of conversations between two police officers who had radioed their headquarters for help as they fled for safety.
Egypt has struggled to quell surging militant violence since 2013, when the military ousted Mohamed Morsi, the Islamist president. Most of the violence is concentrated in Sinai, where an affiliate of the Islamic State is battling the Egyptian military. In the past year, Islamic State militants have widened their campaign to include attacks on Christian churches, homes and pilgrims across Egypt. “The guys are behind us, chasing us in their cars,” one officer can be heard saying. He described being lost in the desert in the only vehicle that escaped the fusillade of gunfire. He was traveling with two others, one of whom was wounded.
But the violence on Friday was notable for the high toll on the security forces and for its location. It underscored the growing threat from Hasm, which first emerged with a series of small, often unsuccessful, bomb attacks targeting judges and police officials. “They took all the weapons and ammunition. We are hiding under a mountain,” said a second officer, stuttering as he spoke.
Egyptian officials have described the group as the Muslim Brotherhood’s militant wing. Experts say there is no evidence of a firm connection, although Hasm seems to be led by disillusioned brotherhood members who have abandoned the movement’s policy of nonviolence. The Associated Press, citing security officials, said the dead included 34 conscripts as well as two police brigadier generals, a colonel and 10 lieutenant colonels. Early indications were that the police had been lured into the ambush by false or incomplete intelligence, officials said.
Hasm claimed responsibility for an explosion outside the Myanmar Embassy in Cairo on Sept. 30, which killed no one but appeared to signal the group’s growing ambitions. Egypt has struggled to quell surging militant violence since 2013, when the military ousted Mohamed Morsi, the Islamist president. Most of the violence has been concentrated in Sinai, where an affiliate of the Islamic State is battling the Egyptian military. In the past year, Islamic State militants have widened their campaign to include attacks on Christian churches, homes and pilgrims across Egypt.
The violence on Friday was notable for the high toll and unusual circumstances. If the Hasm claim of responsibility is confirmed, it underscores the growing threat from a group that emerged in 2016 with a series of small, often unsuccessful, bomb attacks targeting judges and police officials.
Although its structure remains hazy, experts believe Hasm is led by Muslim Brotherhood members who, angered by Mr. Sisi’s harsh crackdown since 2013, have abandoned the movement’s policy of nonviolence. The group claimed responsibility for an explosion outside the Myanmar Embassy in Cairo on Sept. 30, which killed no one but appeared to signal the group’s growing ambitions.
But the scale and sophistication of the ambush on Friday bore the hallmarks of more experienced and heavily armed militants, and some experts cautioned that the Hasm statement of responsibility might be a fabrication.
“Hasm doesn’t operate in that area and they are not capable of this kind of operation,” said Ahmed Kamel El-Beheiri, a security researcher at the state-run Al Ahram Center for Strategic Studies. “Until now they have only been capable of using small arms and improved explosives devices. They don’t have the numbers, the training or the weapons for this.”
A more likely scenario, Mr. Beheiri said, was that the Islamic State was responsible for the attack.