Islamic State group claims Egypt attack that killed 23 troops
EL-ARISH, Egypt — The Islamic State group has claimed an attack on a remote Egyptian army outpost in the Sinai Peninsula that killed at least 23 soldiers, the deadliest assault in the turbulent region in two years.
IS said in an online statement late Friday that it carried out the attack as the army was preparing to assault militant positions in the territory bordering Gaza and Israel.
The co-ordinated attack suggested the Sinai-based militants are among the region’s most resilient, after IS in Iraq and Syria, where the so-called caliphate is rapidly losing ground. It also underscored the challenges facing Egypt’s security forces as they try to contain the insurgency. Local TV channels on Saturday carried live footage of the funerals of those killed, with their coffins wrapped in Egypt’s red, white and black flag.
Egypt has for years battled militants in Sinai, where the jihadis have exploited the vast, arid and underdeveloped region, recruiting from its disgruntled Bedouin population.
Friday’s assault began in the early morning, when a suicide bomber rammed his vehicle into a checkpoint at a military compound in the village of el-Barth, southwest of the border town of Rafah. Dozens of masked militants then descended on the site in 24 Land Cruisers and opened fire on the soldiers with machine-guns, according to security officials.
The shooting lasted nearly half an hour, the officials added, speaking on condition of anonymity because of regulations. There were an estimated 60 troops at the compound.
When the attack subsided, the militants apparently looted the checkpoint, snatching weapons and ammunition before fleeing, the officials said. A number of militants were killed in the shootout and some of their vehicles were abandoned at the scene.
The suicide blast apparently disabled the checkpoint’s military communications system, forcing an officer to use his own cellphone to record an audio message seeking help. The message, sent to a colleague via WhatsApp, was later circulated on social media.
“This might be the last seconds in my life,” a man’s voice calmly says in the recording.
“Quickly, oh men, anyone who knows how to reach the command centre, notify them to use artillery as we are still alive.”
He then praises God and ends by saying “we will either avenge them or die,” referring to his fallen colleagues.
BAGHDAD — Iraqi commanders say their forces are “tens of metres” away from defeating the Islamic State group in Mosul, a day after a major counterattack by the militants.
The Joint Operations Command said Saturday: “Our units are still continuing to advance … Not much is left before our forces reach the river.”
Iraqi officials have made similar pronouncements over the past week as security forces have bottled the militants up in a sliver of the Old City along the Tigris River.
But the troops’ progress has slowed in recent days.
The militants hold less than one square kilometre of territory, but are using civilians as human shields, making it nearly impossible for U.S.-led warplanes to flush them out.
The operation to retake Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, began in October.