(Photo by Mohsen Nabil\DNE)
The Al-Farafra checkpoint attack, which killed 22 Egyptian border guards on Saturday, was conducted by 20 armed men in vehicles equipped with explosives, said military spokesperson Brigadier General Mohamed Samir.
In a statement Tuesday revealing the primary findings of the investigation, Samir said that the militants used sniper rifles, machine guns, hand grenades, and RPGs to attack the checkpoint, violently clashing with the soldiers.
A major explosion in the checkpoint’s ammunition storage room caused the high number of casualties, the statement added. The Army Spokesperson added that two vehicles left behind by the attackers, primed to explode, were confiscated and diffused.
The statement also emphasised the armed forces “will not falter in avenging the deceased soldiers and will continue to fight terrorism.”
A military source said that ongoing investigations are being conducted to determine responsibility for the attack.
A military funeral was held Sunday for the deceased soldiers attended by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, Prime Minster Ibrahim Mehleb, and high ranking military officials. The presidency announced Saturday three days of national mourning.
Last May, in a similar attack five Egyptian border guards were killed in the same area. Radical militants have been staging attacks and bombings against policemen and soldiers since the former President Mohamed Morsi’s ouster last year.
