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| Militants Carry Out Deadly Attacks on Army Checkpoints in North Sinai | Militants Carry Out Deadly Attacks on Army Checkpoints in North Sinai |
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| CAIRO — Militants in North Sinai simultaneously attacked two army checkpoints before dawn on Thursday, killing at least 13 Egyptian soldiers and two civilians, security officials said. The attacks ended a lull in such violence that had lasted several weeks. | CAIRO — Militants in North Sinai simultaneously attacked two army checkpoints before dawn on Thursday, killing at least 13 Egyptian soldiers and two civilians, security officials said. The attacks ended a lull in such violence that had lasted several weeks. |
| Both assaults involved the use of car bombs followed by gun battles with the militants, and the security officials said at least 15 of the attackers had been killed. Eighteen other soldiers and a police officer were also wounded, officials said. | Both assaults involved the use of car bombs followed by gun battles with the militants, and the security officials said at least 15 of the attackers had been killed. Eighteen other soldiers and a police officer were also wounded, officials said. |
| The Egyptian Army and security forces have been fighting for more than 20 months to stamp out an incipient Islamist insurgency based in North Sinai, set off by the military ouster of President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. Militants have killed hundreds of soldiers and police officers in such attacks, which have mainly targeted security forces rather than civilians. | The Egyptian Army and security forces have been fighting for more than 20 months to stamp out an incipient Islamist insurgency based in North Sinai, set off by the military ouster of President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. Militants have killed hundreds of soldiers and police officers in such attacks, which have mainly targeted security forces rather than civilians. |
| The main Sinai-based militant group, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, last fall declared itself a “province” of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. | The main Sinai-based militant group, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, last fall declared itself a “province” of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. |
| The army has sought to impose a tight seal on the area near the city of Sheikh Zuwaid, where the attacks occurred. In the last few months, it has resorted to destroying hundreds of homes near the border with the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip in an attempt to restrict access to smuggling tunnels that might aid the militants. | The army has sought to impose a tight seal on the area near the city of Sheikh Zuwaid, where the attacks occurred. In the last few months, it has resorted to destroying hundreds of homes near the border with the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip in an attempt to restrict access to smuggling tunnels that might aid the militants. |
| Yet attacks on security forces have persisted. An assault on a military checkpoint in the area in October killed more than 30 soldiers and set off a hunt for what the Egyptian authorities believed was an army insider who had given the attackers information about troop movements. In January, a wave of several coordinated bombings across the region killed 44 people, according to reports in the Egyptian state news media. | Yet attacks on security forces have persisted. An assault on a military checkpoint in the area in October killed more than 30 soldiers and set off a hunt for what the Egyptian authorities believed was an army insider who had given the attackers information about troop movements. In January, a wave of several coordinated bombings across the region killed 44 people, according to reports in the Egyptian state news media. |
| Since January, however, attention has shifted to other groups of evidently less-seasoned militants who have sought to attack empty stores or other businesses in Cairo and across the country. Carried out by shadowy new groups with names like the Popular Resistance Movement and Revolutionary Punishment, the attacks typically used improvised explosives to strike electric utility stations or storefronts in an attempt to discourage investment in Egypt. | Since January, however, attention has shifted to other groups of evidently less-seasoned militants who have sought to attack empty stores or other businesses in Cairo and across the country. Carried out by shadowy new groups with names like the Popular Resistance Movement and Revolutionary Punishment, the attacks typically used improvised explosives to strike electric utility stations or storefronts in an attempt to discourage investment in Egypt. |
| Banks and businesses tied to the United Arab Emirates or other Persian Gulf monarchies have been frequent targets, notably including Kentucky Fried Chicken fast food outlets operated by a Kuwaiti company. | Banks and businesses tied to the United Arab Emirates or other Persian Gulf monarchies have been frequent targets, notably including Kentucky Fried Chicken fast food outlets operated by a Kuwaiti company. |
| One of the groups, Revolutionary Punishment, claimed responsibility this week for the killing of an off-duty security officer, Khaled Mohamed, who was leaving morning prayers at a mosque in his village in the province of Monofeya, reviving fears that the groups could turn to more lethal violence. The group said it had dedicated the attack to Islamist prisoners who had been sentenced to death and accused the officer of overseeing torture. | One of the groups, Revolutionary Punishment, claimed responsibility this week for the killing of an off-duty security officer, Khaled Mohamed, who was leaving morning prayers at a mosque in his village in the province of Monofeya, reviving fears that the groups could turn to more lethal violence. The group said it had dedicated the attack to Islamist prisoners who had been sentenced to death and accused the officer of overseeing torture. |
| On Thursday, Revolutionary Punishment also claimed responsibility for the killing in Giza of a high-ranking security officer, Brig. Gen. Atef el Islambouly. “Worse is yet to come,” the group declared in a message on Twitter. But security officials countered that the general had been shot by criminals while responding to an armored car holdup, then died of his wounds. | On Thursday, Revolutionary Punishment also claimed responsibility for the killing in Giza of a high-ranking security officer, Brig. Gen. Atef el Islambouly. “Worse is yet to come,” the group declared in a message on Twitter. But security officials countered that the general had been shot by criminals while responding to an armored car holdup, then died of his wounds. |
| In any event, the recent attacks follow a period of especially heightened security across the country, after Egypt held a major conference for international donors and investors in mid-March in Sharm el Sheikh, in South Sinai. The newer militant groups had said in their statements that they were singling out corporations participating in the conference, and the gathering appeared to make a tempting target for either the Sinai-based militants or the newer groups. | |
| But security around the conference was overwhelming, with rows of uniformed soldiers lining the roads around Sharm el Sheikh, and the event passed without incident. The killing of the security officer this week in Monofeya and the militant attacks in the North Sinai have been the first major assaults since then. | |
| The Egyptian authorities have declared the area of North Sinai around Sheikh Zuwaid a closed military zone, restricting access and barring journalists. | The Egyptian authorities have declared the area of North Sinai around Sheikh Zuwaid a closed military zone, restricting access and barring journalists. |