Islamic State-linked militants kill Egyptian officer in restive Sinai
Islamic State-linked militants kill Egyptian officer in restive Sinai
The officer was killed in the north of Sinai province, where Egyptian forces are conducting a large-scale operation against a militant group linked to the Islamic State.
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Egypt's army is fighting militants affiliated with the Islamic State in Sinai province [Khaled Desouki/AFP via Getty-archive]
An Egyptian army officer was killed Friday in an attack by Islamic State-affiliated militants in the north of Sinai province, military sources told The New Arab's Arabic-language sister site.
The officer killed was Muhammad Yasser Hotsh, from the 112th Parachute Forces Command, military medical sources told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
The attack took place near the city of Bir al-Abd, where Egyptian forces are conducting a large-scale operation against the IS-affiliated Wilayat Sinai group, according to the sources.
They added that a number of people were taken to hospital for injuries sustained in the attack, but they did not specify who or how many were hurt.
Militants have waged an insurgency in Sinai for many years that intensified after current Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi seized power in a 2013 military coup.
Despite Egyptian operations to stamp them out, the militants appear to have become more brazen in recent months, besieging vital infrastructure east of the Suez Canal in August.
Before this, IS-affiliated militants had on occasion tried to move into areas around the Suez Canal, but were beaten back by state security.
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