ISMAILIA: Fighters of the self-styled Islamic State (IS) group attacked several military checkpoints in Egypt’s North Sinai on Wednesday in a coordinated assault in which at least 70 combatants and civilians were killed — one of the biggest militant attacks in Egypt’s modern history.

The action marked a significant escalation in violence in the Sinai Peninsula, located between Israel, the Gaza Strip and the Suez Canal.

It also raised questions about the government’s ability to contain an insurgency that has already killed hundreds of police personnel and soldiers.

The Egyptian affiliate of IS, the Sinai Province, claimed responsibility for the attacks.

The army said five checkpoints were hit by about 70 militants and the fighting raged for more than eight hours.

One security source put the number of militants at about 300, armed with heavy weapons and anti-aircraft weaponry.

Security sources said the militants had planned to lay siege to Sheikh Zuweid town, where most of the fighting has been concentrated, by hitting all army checkpoints simultaneously.

“But we have dealt with them and broke the siege on Sheikh Zuweid,” one source said.

Army F-16 jets and Apache helicopters strafed the region. Soldiers had destroyed three vehicles fitted with anti-aircraft guns, the army said.

The insurgency, which is seeking to topple the Cairo government, has intensified since 2013, when then-army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi removed President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood after mass protests against his rule.

Mr Sisi, who regards the Brotherhood as a threat to national security, has since overseen a harsh crackdown on Islamists.

The courts have sentenced hundreds of alleged Brotherhood supporters to death in recent months. Morsi himself, and other senior Brotherhood figures, also face the death penalty.

Wednesday’s assault was the second high-profile attack in Egypt this week. On Monday, the prosecutor-general was killed in a car bombing in Cairo.

The breakdown of identities of those killed was not immediately clear. Security and medical sources said at least 70 people, including soldiers and civilians, were killed.

The sources said 38 militants were also killed. The army has acknowledged deaths among soldiers and militants.

Security sources said militants had surrounded a police station in Sheikh Zuweid and had planted bombs around it to prevent forces from leaving.

The militants also planted bombs along a road between Sheikh Zuweid and al-Zuhour army camp to prevent the movement of any army supplies or reinforcements. They also seized two armoured vehicles, weapons and ammunition, the sources said.

“We are not allowed to leave our homes. Clashes are ongoing. A short while ago I saw five Land Cruisers with masked gunmen waving black flags,” said Suleiman al-Sayed, a 49-year-old Sheikh Zuweid resident.

Ambulance medic Yousef Abdelsalam said he was at the entrance to Sheikh Zuweid but could not enter because of warnings that the road was rigged with bombs.

Witnesses and security sources also reported hearing two explosions in the nearby town of Rafah, which borders Gaza. The sources said all roads leading to Rafah and Sheikh Zuweid were shut down.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2015

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