Islamic fighters raid post in Sinai

Militants’ attack kills at least 23 Egyptian soldiers

EL-ARISH, Egypt — Islamic militants attacked a remote Egyptian army outpost in the Sinai Peninsula with a suicide car bomb and heavy machine gun fire Friday, killing at least 23 soldiers in the deadliest attack in the turbulent region in two years.

After nightfall, the Islamic State group issued a claim of responsibility, saying in an online statement that it had carried out the attack as the Egyptian army was preparing an assault on ISIS positions in Sinai.

Egypt has for years battled militants in Sinai, where the jihadis have exploited the vast arid and underdeveloped region and its disgruntled Bedouin population as an ideal incubator for Islamic insurgency.

Recently the ISIS affiliate has emerged at the forefront of the insurgency.

Suicide bomber

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 Cruiser SUVs and opened fire 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. The troops at the compound were estimated to have numbered about 60.

When the attack subsided, the militants apparently looted the checkpoint, snatching weapons and ammunition before fleeing, the officials said. It was unclear if they also took armored vehicles.

A number of militants were killed in the shootout, and some of their vehicles were abandoned at the scene.

Alert on social media

The suicide blast at the start of the attack likely disabled the checkpoint’s military communications system, prompting an officer to use his cellphone to record an audio message and send it to a colleague via WhatsApp, seeking help and asking for prayers.

The message, which was later widely circulated on social media, is said to belong to one of the five officers killed in the attack.

“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 center, notify them to use artillery as we are still alive.”