Egypt: Deadly police attack in Sinai July 8

Event

On Saturday, July 8, a roadside bomb killed two policemen and injured nine others in the Al-Safa district of Arish, in northern Sinai, according to the Ministry of the Interior. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack; however, Islamic State (IS) affiliates active in the region are suspected.

This attack comes one day after at least 25 soldiers were killed in a suicide car bombing and subsequent gunfire at a checkpoint in Rafah (North Sinai) on Friday, July 7.

Also on Saturday, security forces killed 16 suspected fugitive militants, allegedly linked to recent attacks on security forces in the Sinai Peninsula, in two shootouts at a militant training camp in Ismailia.

Context

Egypt faces an IS insurgency in the restive Sinai Peninsula, where hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed since 2013. Northeastern Sinai has been a particularly volatile area in the region, on the border with Israel and the Gaza Strip. Egypt has been under a nationwide state of emergency since April 2017, when IS militants carried out attacks on two churches in Tanta and Alexandria, leaving over 50 people dead.

Advice

The security environment in Egypt remains complex. Although travel is permissible in some areas, other areas should be considered strictly off limits. Professional security advice and support should be sought prior to travel.