3 security forces killed in Egypt’s Sinai

Three members of the Egyptian security forces have been killed in separate attacks carried out by unidentified gunmen in Egyptâ„¢s volatile Sinai Peninsula.

All of the incidents took place in North Sinai on Wednesday night.

One soldier was killed after gunmen attacked a police headquarters in El-Arish, North Sinai’s main town, and a police officer was shot and killed outside his house in the same town.

Another policeman identified as Mohamed Said Metwali, 34, was killed in an attack on a police post in the town of Sheikh Zuweid near the border with the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, a security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said on Thursday that security forces had killed 10 militants in North Sinai in the past two days.

Since the ouster of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi on July 3, militant groups have launched almost daily attacks there, killing several members of security forces.

In August 2012, 16 Egyptian soldiers were killed in an attack on a police station near the border with the Gaza Strip. It was the deadliest incident in Egypt’s Sinai in decades.

In response, Cairo launched an offensive against terrorists in Sinai, sending thousands of troops backed by tanks and heavy equipment into the region.

MAM/MHB