Militant attack kills 12 Egyptian soldiers in Sinai

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack though it bore the hallmarks of the local affiliate of the extremist Islamic State group, which is based in Sinai. Calling itself the “Emirate of Sinai,” the group is leading the insurgency in the strategic region bordering Israel and the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said in a brief statement later Friday that the latest attack would only strengthen Egypt’s resolve to continue the “battle for building and survival.”

The attack was the latest in what appears to be a surge in the number of operations launched by the militants as well as a wave of IS kidnappings and subsequent killings of Sinai’s local residents suspected of collaborating with security forces battling the militants.

However, there has been a dramatic fall in recent months in the number of attacks on mainland Egypt that have been claimed by the IS. A previously unheard of group, “Hasm,” or “Decisiveness,” seems to have taken the lead in those attacks. It claimed responsibility for the attempted assassination in recent weeks in Cairo of a top prosecutor and a former mufti, or chief theologian.

Egypt has battled militants in Sinai for years, but the insurgency has grown deadlier since the 2013 ouster by the military of an elected Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi.

Authorities have placed tight restrictions on travel to Sinai, denying access by independent and foreign media to the vast and arid region. The government also routinely claims the death of dozens of militants every month, and occasionally announces that troops are close to defeating the insurgency.

Ashraf Sweilam, The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

Militant attack kills 12 Egyptian soldiers in Sinai

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