Mortar fire kills 2 civilians in Egypt’s Sinai

By Khaled al-Jayoushi

CAIRO (AA) - Two civilians were killed by mortar fire in Egypt’s restive Sinai Peninsula on Monday, according to a local security source.

Three people were also injured when mortar shells struck two homes in North Sinai’s city of Rafah, the source said anonymously due to security concerns.

Egyptian authorities have yet to comment on the attack, for which no group has claimed responsibility.

Northern Sinai has seen an uptick in militant attacks in recent weeks in which dozens of soldiers were killed.

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, meanwhile, 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.