The South Sinai deputy security director and five police officers were injured by heavy fire from anonymous militants during a security sweep conducted on Tuesday evening, according to state-run Al-Ahram newspaper.
The security sweep was being conducted by police forces, in cooperation with the army, to look for wanted criminals in Wadi Feran, Abou Redis city.
“Both army and police forces were subjected to heavy fire from anonymous militants from the top of surrounding mountains in the area. This attack left many injured, including the deputy security director of South Sinai,” a North Sinai-based journalist told Daily News Egypt Wednesday, on condition of anonymity.
The injured police officers and the deputy security director were immediately transferred to El-Tor public hospital.
The Interior Ministry was not available for comment on the incident at the time of print.
Meanwhile in North Sinai, three police conscripts were killed and six others injured in a militant attack that targeted an army patrol south of Sheikh Zuweid, according to a North Sinai-based journalist.
Following the attack, an armoured vehicle arrived to transfer the bodies of the killed conscripts and the injured to an area away from the clashes in order to then transfer them to Al-Arish military hospital via ambulance, he clarified.
Also in Sheikh Zuweid, militants suddenly attacked a bomb squad that was in the process of safely detonating two improvised explosive devices (IED).
“The attack was curbed after violent resistance from the police and army personnel accompanying the explosive experts. This resulted in two militants killed and three others injured,” the journalist told Daily News Egypt.
Not far away from Sheikh Zuweid , a police conscript was reportedly killed during a security sweep south of the city.
The conscript was killed in an exchange of fire with militants who opened fire on the forces performing the sweep, according to local media outlets.
These intensive attacks by militants against police and army forces have become an almost daily occurrence. It is believed that the attackers are members of the Islamic State-affiliated group “Sinai Province”. These attacks are mainly targeting army and police checkpoints in different areas of North Sinai.
Attacks in South Sinai governorate are seldom reported. The area is well known for being a safe tourism destination for Egyptians and other foreign nationals.
Sinai has become the scene of frequent clashes between militants and state security forces. An extensive counter-insurgency operation was launched to curb militancy within Sinai. These operations have imposed a state of emergency in the northern regions of the peninsula.
