Gunmen kill 2 Egyptian policemen in Sinai

Gunmen attacked an Egyptian police camp Thursday in the Sinai Peninsula, killing two officers, authorities said, as security forces battle an insurgency led by an affiliate of the Islamic State group.

The assailants in a car opened fire on the policemen while they were on duty outside the camp in the town of Rafah on the border with the Palestinian Gaza Strip, according to security officials.

The Sinai has been shaken by regular militant attacks despite stringent security measures adopted since a deadly assault in October that killed 30 soldiers.

The jihadist group Sinai Province has spearheaded an offensive against security forces on the peninsula since the overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi by the army in 2013.

The group, formerly known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, which has captured swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria.

Scores of policemen and soldiers have been killed in the attacks, which jihadists say are to avenge a crackdown on Morsi supporters that has left hundreds dead and thousands in jail.
Source: AFP