Death Toll in Sinai Police Checkpoint Attack Rises to Nine

The death toll in an attack on a police checkpoint near the town of el-Arish in northern Sinai, Egypt, has risen to nine people, media reported on Monday, citing a source in law enforcement.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Previously it was reported that six police officers had died and ten people were injured.

According to the source, the checkpoint was attacked by a suicide bomber who drove into it in a vehicle packed with explosives. Militants then proceeded to open fire with grenade launchers, the Sky News Arabia channel reported.

Four civilians were reportedly injured.

Egypt has been fighting a rise in terrorist attacks in northern Sinai since the army, led by President Abdel Fattah Sisi, overthrew then Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in 2013. Police and security forces have since been the target of deadly attacks by Islamists in the area.

At least 9 Sinai troops killed in bomb-laden garbage truck attackhttps://t.co/DV8kYnDuJg

— ObozoLies (@ObozoLies) 9 января 2017 г.

​In 2014, Sinai's indigenous militants pledged allegiance to Daesh, which is outlawed in many countries, including Russia and the United States. The self-proclaimed Wilayat Sinai has subsequently claimed responsibility for a number of deadly attacks in the area.

 

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