Egyptian intelligence officer killed in Sinai

Unknown assailants shot and killed an Egyptian intelligence officer Thursday in the Sinai, officials said. The officer, a captain in Egypt's military intelligence in el-Arish, was shot dead while driving through al-Qantara near the Suez Canal. The assailants stole the officer's weapons and car, security officials said. His body was found about 500 meters from the canal. Overnight, two Egyptian soldiers were killed in an exchange of fire with smugglers near the border with Israel, an Israeli army spokeswoman said Thursday. The desert border between Israel and Egypt runs for 240 kilometers. It is frequented by Bedouin tribesmen who run arms, cigarettes, and drugs smuggling rackets across the porous border.