Egyptian Officer, 10 Soldiers Killed Repelling Militant Attack in Sinai

CAIRO (Sputnik) - An officer of the Egyptian army and 10 soldiers died repelling an attack of militants at water infrastructure in the Sinai Peninsula, the army spokesman said on Saturday.

"A group of terrorists attacked a water pump east of Suez Canal and was repelled. An officer and 10 soldiers died repelling the attack," Gharib Abdel Hafez Gharib said on social media.

Five militants were injured as the army hemmed them in, according to the statement.

⭕️🇪🇬#Egypt (#مصر )As a result of a military clash between an Egyptian army detachment and IS militants in the Sinai Peninsula, 11 servicemen, including an officer, were killed.
👉Jihadists on Saturday sabotaged a pumping station in the eastern part of the Suez Canal. pic.twitter.com/DTVcoV4LzE

— 🅻-🆃🅴🅰🅼 (@L_Team10) May 7, 2022

The state of emergency had been in effect in certain parts of Egypt, including in the north of the Sinai Peninsula, since 2013 and was extended to the entire territory of Egypt in April 2017 following two terrorist attacks in Tanta and Alexandria, in which more than 50 people died and over 100 were injured.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said in October 2021 that he would not extend the state of emergency, as the country had become "an oasis of stability and security in the region."

Lifting the state of emergency, whcih lasted for three decades under ex-president Hosni Mubarak, was one of the key demands during the January 2011 revolution.