By: Nasser Al-Azazi
Armed assailants attacked a number of security force headquarters and checkpoints in the cities of Al-Arish and Al-Hassana in Central Sinai, resulting in the death of one soldier, with five others sustaining injuries.
Assailants fired RPG’s at the Al-Mahajr checkpoint located in the vicinity of the Al-Arish airport, resulting in the death of one soldier, injury of two others, and destruction of one armoured police vehicle. The injured were transferred to the Al-Arish military hospital, with a medical source describing their condition as stable.
Assailants also attacked a military base in Al-Arish, with three soldiers sustaining injuries before being transferred to the hospital.
A security source said that the attacks were launched by unknown assailants targeting the Central Security Division located along the road to the Al-Arish airport. Security forces fired upon the assailants, forcing them to flee through olive fields. The attacks resulted in the injury of three soldiers, who were transferred to the Al-Arish military hospital for treatment.
Assailants also fired RPG’s at a radio and television dispatcher station in Al-Arish. The RPG landed however in a nearby remote area, and the station did not sustain any damage.
An improvised explosive device (IED) exploded near a building belonging to the Border Security Intelligence offices in the neighbourhood of Al-Qasima in the city of Al-Hassana, located in Central Sinai. No casualties were reported as a result of the attack.
A security source said a large portion of the building was destroyed in the attack. The building had been targeted on previous occasions, with unknown assailants at one point placing a locally made IED inside the building itself.
Colonel Ahmed Mohamed Ali, armed forces spokesman, rejected claims that five tanks, two in Rafah and three in Al-Arish, had been destroyed. He said that such statements had no basis in reality, saying that no military vehicles or hardware had been damaged anywhere in Northern Sinai.
In the official statement, he called on all media outlets to intensely scrutinize and verify their facts before releasing any information about the armed forces and its activities in Sinai.
Masked assailants Saturday during dawn took to burning the Fire and Civil Protection building, in addition to two fire trucks, after having previously set fire to the Al-Arish Customs Directorate, and stealing the contents of the facility.
