El-Zagdan checkpoint in Al-Arish was targeted by snipers on Monday morning leaving one conscript dead, a North Sinai-based journalist told Daily News Egypt on condition of anonymity.
The media office of the armed forces was unavailable for comment nor did the official spokes issue a statement as of yet.
In mid-October, this same checkpoint, located south of the Bir El-Abd in Al-Arish city, was targeted in a deadly attack by militant group “Sinai Province” which left 12 conscripts dead. Directly following the attack, the militant group declared its responsibility for the attack.
The previous morning, on Sunday, four Al-Arish residents were injured in an explosion in the city centre, residents told Daily News Egypt on condition of anonymity.
“Security forces arrived at the explosion site and closed Abu Soqal bridge. Residents and students of a nearby school are in a state of panic,” one of the residents who preferred to be anonymous clarified.
Contrary to this, the Interior Ministry issued a statement about the explosion later on Sunday evening, citing different numbers: “A suicide bomber drove a vehicle into the city centre where it detonated near a security patrol, resulting in the injury of three citizens and three police officers.”
The ministry also said that human remains were found at the explosion site, and are believed to be from the suicide bomber.
The explosion is believed to have been executed by the Islamic State-affiliated group “Sinai Province” which has been engaged in ongoing clashes with police and army forces in Sinai Peninsula since 2013, according residents.
Since 2013, following the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, “Sinai Province” has launched dozens of deadly attacks against army stationing points.
In 2014, the Egyptian Armed Forces launched a counter-insurgency campaign targeting militants in North Sinai, though the group still represents a “chronic headache” to the current regime.
