(AFP Photo)
Three policemen were killed and two others injured Wednesday night in Sinai as a result of three separate armed attacks by unknown assailants.
An attack on Sheikh Zuweid police station in the North Sinai Security Directorate killed policeman Mohamed Al-Metwalli and injured policemen Al-Sayed Ahmed and Mohamed Al-Fangary with gunshots, a statement by the Ministry of Interior said. Al-Fangary was shot in the neck, the injury leaving him in critical condition.
The police forces responded to the attacks right away. The Ministry’s statement failed to mention whether any of the assailants were captured, injured or killed.
In a separate attack, unknown assailants fatally shot policeman Abdel Aziz Attallah in the chest outside his home. Attallah was a member of the Central Security Forces (CSF).
State-run news agency MENA reported that the Al-Arish police station was also attacked Wednesday night by armed assailants driving outside it. The assailants escaped in their vehicle after shooting CSF conscript Mahmoud Hanafy dead.
The Ministry of Interior stated that the assailants are “unscrupulous and unpatriotic extremists,” adding that the public prosecution’s investigation into the attacks is ongoing.
“The ministry stresses its insistence to continue its sacrifices for the nation in order to restore security and preserve national stability,” the statement read.
Unidentified gunmen fired live bullets at police checkpoints in North Sinai Tuesday night, and also at an army checkpoint close to Rafah International Airport early Wednesday, leaving behind several injuries.
Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya issued a statementcondemning the violent attacks in Sinai and calling for the security of Egyptian civilians, police and army forces.
The Sinai Peninsula has experienced a spate of attacks since the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi on 3 July. Most militant attacks target security checkpoints and personnel.
