Interior ministry: anonymous militants kill policeman in Arish

Monday 20-06-2016 10:31 AM

The Unknown Soldier area in North Sinai's Rafah, 2014. ASWAT MASRIYA

CAIRO, Jun 20 (Aswat Masriya) -  A policeman in the Northern Sinai town of Arish was killed on Sunday night after anonymous militants shot him, an interior ministry media official said.

An interior ministry statement on the ministry's official Facebook page stated that the militants fired the gunshots towards the low-ranking policeman in front of his house near the Arish police station.

Another policeman was killed and another injured earlier on Sunday in a road-side bomb explosion in central Sinai, the interior ministry said.

The explosion took place as security personnel passed by Al-Hasna- Sadr Hitan road, in the district of Al-Hasna police station.

Militancy inside Egypt has seen a significant rise since the military ouster of former President Mohamed Mursi in July 2013, following mass protests against his rule.

Most of the insurgent activities which target security personnel and facilities occur in the restive Sinai peninsula, particularly in North Sinai.

The group known as "Sinai Province", affiliated with Islamic State fighters in Syria and Iraq, claims most of the attacks in the area.

Military and police forces have embarked on several security campaigns in North Sinai aimed to fight militants. 

According to separate statements by the armed forces, Egyptian security forces have killed hundreds of militants in Sinai over the past two years.

Aswat Masriya could not independently verify the content of these statements. Anti-terrorism legislation imposes heavy fines on news organisations that contradict official statements.

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