By Charlie Miller
Security forces stationed in Al-Arish, North Sinai, were attacked on Monday by groups of militants wielding automatic weapons, resulting in the death of one soldier and leaving four other soldiers injured.
Conscript Bakr Mohamed Elewa was killed when militants launched a series of attacks on the Armed Forces Officers’ Club in Al-Arish and wounded his colleagues Mohamed Moussa Jaballah and Ahmed Ali Mohamed in the process.
Armed forces spokesman Colonel Ahmed Ali confirmed that both automatic weapons and “snipers” were used in the assaults on the barracks, which took place at 3.45pm, 6.00pm and 9.20pm on Monday. The assailants fled and remain at large.
In a separate incident, two policemen were injured in an attack on their armoured vehicle, which was guarding the Al-Arish branch of the National Bank. Sharpshooters opened fire on the guards, Sherif Abdel Atti and Mohamed Ahmed, who were both wounded but are reported to be in a stable condition.
The North Sinai traffic unit was also attacked, as was another government building early Tuesday morning.
Violence in the North Sinai region has increased following Morsi’s ouster; more than 20 security personnel have been killed since 30 June in a series of attacks, ranging from the placement of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at a police station in Sheikh Zuweid to a rocket attack on the North Sinai Security Directorate, as well as a number of assaults on security forces with firearms and large-calibre weapons.
Major General Ahmed Wasfy, the commander of the Second Field Army, has been forced to cancel a planned inspection of bases in North Sinai as a result of the increased levels of violence. He was due to visit a number of checkpoints and outposts with other high-ranking officers, but the scenario on the ground had become too dangerous, the security source in the Sinai added.
Additional reporting by Nasser Al-Azzazy
