(Sinai) A couple of suicide bomb attacks on Army checkpoints
in the volatile area of Northern Sinai has left 23 Egyptian soldiers
dead and another 33 wounded.
The assault started when a suicide car bomber rammed his
vehicle into a checkpoint at a military compound in the village of el-Barth,
southwest of the border town of Rafah, this was followed by heavy gunfire from dozens of
masked men on foot. The gunmen arrived at the site of the checkpoint —
located in a remote, desert area — in some 24 Land Cruiser SUVs, and opened
fire on the soldiers with machine-guns for nearly half an hour. After the attack, the terrorists looted the checkpoint,
taking away weapons and ammunition before fleeing the scene, It is unclear if they also took armoured vehicles as well. The nearest army compound is located an hour’s drive away,
leaving the targeted site with no support except for local, armed tribesmen
from the Tarabeen, who have their own small checkpoints nearby.
