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10 Egyptian Soldiers Killed in Sinai Attack Egyptian Soldiers Killed in Sinai Attack
(about 14 hours later)
CAIRO — Ten Egyptian soldiers were killed on Wednesday after a booby-trapped car exploded next to their bus in the northern Sinai Peninsula, according to a military spokesman. CAIRO — At least 11 Egyptian soldiers were killed on Wednesday after suicide bombers drove an explosives-laden car into a convoy of military buses traveling in the Sinai Peninsula, according to a spokesman for the armed forces.
At least 35 people were wounded in the bombing, near the town of Sheikh Zuwayed, the military said. At least 37 people were wounded in the attack, which struck soldiers who were returning from vacation, the military said.
The bombing was the latest in a campaign of almost daily attacks by insurgents against soldiers and police officers that began in July, when the military ousted Egypt’s Islamist president, Mohamed Morsi. Many of the attacks have occurred in the marginalized and relatively lawless Sinai, but militants have also struck at officials in Cairo, raising fears of a prolonged and escalating insurgency. Separately on Wednesday morning, unknown assailants threw an explosive device at a police checkpoint in the capital, and four police officers were hurt, the state news media reported.
In one of the most brazen attacks, gunmen on Sunday assassinated Lt. Col. Mohamed Mabrouk, a senior Egyptian security official who was responsible for investigating Muslim extremists, firing at his car as he drove to work. An extremist group, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, claimed responsibility for the attack on Tuesday, saying that it was retaliating for the arrests of women protesting the military takeover. The attacks were the latest in a campaign of almost daily violence by militants against soldiers and police officers that began in July, when the military ousted Egypt’s democratically elected Islamist president, Mohamed Morsi. Many of the attacks have occurred in the marginalized and relatively lawless Sinai, but militants have also struck at officials in Cairo, shaking the interim, military-backed government and raising fears of a prolonged insurgency.
A previously obscure group, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis has gained prominence with a series of bombings and shootings targeting security officers in the Sinai and Suez Canal area. The group also claimed responsibility for the attempted assassination by suicide bombing of Egypt’s interior minister in the capital two months ago. In a video claiming responsibility for that attack, the group chided mainstream Islamist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood for engaging in nonviolent protests. In one of the most brazen attacks, on Sunday gunmen killed Lt. Col. Mohamed Mabrouk, a senior Egyptian security official who was responsible for investigating Muslim extremists, spraying his car with bullets as he drove to work. An extremist group, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, claimed responsibility for the attack on Tuesday, saying it was retaliating for the arrests of women protesting the military takeover.
In the video, the bomber says that “iron must be fought with iron, and fire with fire.” A previously obscure group, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis has gained prominence with a series of bombings and shootings targeting security officers in the Sinai and Suez Canal area. The group also claimed responsibility for the attempted assassination of Egypt’s interior minister in a suicide bombing in Cairo two months ago. In statements and videos after the attacks, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis has tried to win recruits by claiming to lead violent resistance against the military takeover.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Wednesday’s bombing. The military said that at about 7:45 a.m., a Hyundai laden with explosives struck the bus, which was carrying soldiers who were going on leave. After the attack on the interior minister, the group released a statement by the bomber saying that “iron must be fought with iron, and fire with fire.” On Tuesday, after the killing of Colonel Mabrouk, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis criticized “free and honorable” Egyptians for inaction.
“What are you waiting for, after your women were detained and your honor violated?” the group said, while warning it would hunt down other security officials, like Colonel Mabrouk, whom it blamed for the arrests of the women. “We are lying in wait for the likes of him,” the statement said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Wednesday’s bombing. The military said that at about 7:45 a.m., two suicide bombers driving a Hyundai laden with explosives struck a convoy of four buses on the road between the towns of Rafah and Al-Arish.
The government declared three days of mourning for the soldiers who were killed, and the defense minister, Gen. Abdul Fattah el-Sisi, in rare public comments, vowed that the deaths “will only make us more determined.”
“People must know that we’re all ready to die so that Egypt remains,” he said.