Egyptian police officer killed in Sinai attack

By Khaled al-Gayoushi

CAIRO (AA) - A police officer on Tuesday evening was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, according to a local security source.

The source, who insisted on anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media, told Anadolu Agency that 26-year-old police officer Mohamed Ahmed was killed when unknown assailants opened fire on an army checkpoint located along Egypt’s border with Israel.

"The assailants fled the scene instantly while the victim's body was rushed to a military hospital in the nearby city of Al-Arish," the source said.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack while the authorities have yet to comment on the incident.

Since mid-2013, when Mohamed Morsi -- Egypt’s first freely-elected president -- was ousted in a military coup, hundreds of Egyptian security personnel deployed in Sinai have been killed amid an ongoing militant insurgency.

The Egyptian security forces continue to wage a fierce campaign -- involving elements from both the police and the army -- against what they describe as Sinai-based "terrorist groups".

Egypt’s army-backed authorities say they are battling the Welayat Sinai (Province of Sinai) group, which is said to have links to the Daesh terrorist organization.