Two police conscripts died of their injuries at the Al-Arish military hospital following an attack by militants on Friday.
The militants reportedly attacked the Masae’d youth centre in north Al-Arish using a vehicle, injuring three conscripts. The two dead conscripts were aged between 28 and 30 years. The third surviving conscript is now at the Al-Arish military hospital receiving treatment.
In an official statement, military spokesperson Mohamed Samir said on Saturday that the armed forces in Sinai killed 725 militants between October 2014 and April 2015 in crossfire. He added that 1,873 were arrested on suspicion of belonging to militant groups.
Nobody has claimed responsibility for the Friday Al-Arish attack; however the militant group “State of Sinai”, formerly known as Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, has claimed responsibility for all previous attacks in North Sinai.
Deaths in North Sinai are frequent, as the Egyptian army and “Islamic State” affiliates in North Sinai have been engaged in a “war”, each seeking the elimination of the other.
Egypt has taken a series of counter-terrorism measures in North Sinai, including imposing a curfew. The curfew followed a 24 October attack, claimed by “State of Sinai”, which left at least 30 security personnel dead and injured many others in North Sinai’s Sheikh Zuweid.
“State of Sinai” has also claimed responsibility for an attack in April on two people, including conscript Ahmed Fathy Aboul Fotouh and another individual, in footage that was released Friday via their official Twitter account.
