Egypt Watch

Human casualties in Sinai increasing every day due to ISIS attacks

On Saturday, two elements of the Egyptian army’s supportive tribal groups were killed by Wilayat Sinai, which is affiliated with the terrorist group of ISIS in the northeast of Sinai Governorate.

According to tribal sources, the group ambushed several tribal groups while they were passing near Abu Tawila village close to the borders between Sheikh Zuwied and Rafah city, which led to the death of two and the kidnapping of another to an unknown place.

ISIS attacks in North Sinai have returned over the last few days after a period of relative calm. The attack comes one day after the killing of Saad Mohamed Saad, an Egyptian engineer from Al-Fawakhriyah tribe. Saad was shot by ISIS while he was working on one of the Armed Forces projects in Rafah.

Two days earlier, three Egyptian military personnel were killed in separate attacks against army and police forces in North Sinai. Officer Ahmed Ayman Nouraldin was killed by ISIS inside one of the south Rafah villages. The incident led to the death of the officer and several individuals were injured and transferred to Al-Arish Military Hospital. Also, Captain Karem Refaat was killed by an explosion that targeted an armored vehicle belonging to the Egyptian police near the Sinai Cement Factory in the centre of the city. Another private was killed in an explosion that targeted a bulldozer whilst he was working in New Rafah City. Another military force was exposed to a terrorist explosion on one of the roads in the middle of Sinai, which resulted in the killing of the Officer Hesham Shams. Private Mahamoud Ahmed Basis and three others were injured.

On November 5 two privates were killed in a militant attack by Wilayat Sinai west of Al-Arish City in North Sinai. The same group attacked a military force affiliated with the Egyptian army, west of the city of Al-Arish which led to the killing of privates and wounding of others. It comes after the presidential decree to suspend the state of emergency, early in November, by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi after seven years.