Militants rammed military compound with car before opening fire in village of el-Barth, security officials say

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Militants killed at least 23 soldiers and injured dozens more in a car explosion and gun attack on an Egyptian military checkpoint in the north-eastern Sinai peninsula, officials have said.

Among those killed in the attack on Friday – the deadliest on the country’s military this year – were five officers, including a high-ranking special forces colonel, Ahmed el-Mansi, according to security officials.

The assault started when an attacker rammed his vehicle into a checkpoint at a military compound in the village of el-Barth, south-west of the border town of Rafah. This was followed by heavy gunfire from dozens of masked militants on foot, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

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As the attack unfolded, ambulances were heard rushing to the site. The officials initially put the death toll at 10 but later said more bodies were pulled from under the rubble of a nearby rest house for troops that was destroyed in the attack.

The militants arrived at the checkpoint, which is in a remote desert area, in 24 SUVs, and shot at the soldiers with machine guns for nearly half an hour, the officials said. There were thought to be about 60 soldiers at the compound.

After the attack, the militants looted the checkpoint, taking away weapons and ammunition before fleeing the scene. It was unclear if they also took armoured vehicles.

The area surrounding the compound is considered to be an Islamic State stronghold and was the site of fierce battles in the spring between tribesmen and militants. The officials said some senior officers criticised the location of the checkpoint, arguing that it provided no real cover.

Earlier, an Egyptian army spokesman, Tamer el-Rifai, confirmed the attack on Facebook.

He said the army foiled attacks targeting a number of other checkpoints in the Rafah area and that 40 militants were killed. Witnesses said they saw Apache helicopters carrying out airstrikes across Rafah after the attack. On his page, al-Rifai posted photographs of allegedly slain militants dressed in military uniforms.

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No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Egypt has been battling a stepped-up insurgency in northern Sinai in recent years, mainly by militants affiliated to Isis.

Though they have not seized territory in Sinai, they have a strong presence in the western and southern area of Rafah, on the outskirts of the town of Sheikh Zuweid, and inside the residential area of Sinai’s largest city, el-Arish.

Over the past months, Isis has focused its assaults on Egypt’s Christian minority and killed dozens in at least four attacks, prompting Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, the president, to declare a state of emergency. However, the restive northern Sinai has been under a state of emergency since October 2014 after Islamist militants killed more than 30 soldiers in a single attack.

In January, eight policemen were killed in el-Arish in a car explosion.</s>At least 26 Egyptian soldiers including a colonel were killed in a suicide bomb attack on an army checkpoint in northern Sinai, according to security sources.Another 40 fighters were killed in a subsequent gun battle with soldiers at the checkpoint, an army spokesperson said on Friday.The attack started when a suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into the checkpoint at a military compound in the southern Rafah village of el-Barth, followed by heavy gunfire from dozens of masked fighters on foot, officials said.The dead included a high ranking special forces officer, Colonel Ahmed el-Mansi, and at least 26 soldiers were wounded in the attack.Sirens of ambulances were heard from a distance as they rushed to the site of the attack.The officials spoke to AP news agency on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorised to speak to the media.No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.Speaking to Al Jazeera from Bologna, Spain, Timothy Kaldas, a non-resident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, said there was a high likelihood that the attack would be claimed by Wilayat Sinai, a group affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.The group frequently targets military and police personnel, he said, adding that Friday's attack was "unfortunately a very predictable type of attack and something we've seen regularly".Over the past months, ISIL has focused its attacks on Egypt's Christian minority and carried out at least four deadly attacks that killed dozens, prompting army chief-turned-President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi to declare a state of emergency in the country.The Sinai branch of ISIL appears to be the most resilient outside Syria and Iraq, where the so-called caliphate is witnessing its demise.The group's offshoot in Libya has been uprooted in months-long battles in the central city of Sirte while its branch in Yemen has failed to seize territories or compete with its al-Qaeda rivals.</s>EL-ARISH, Egypt (AP) — Islamic militants attacked a remote Egyptian army outpost in the Sinai Peninsula with a suicide car bomb and heavy machine gun fire on 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 IS positions in Sinai.

The coordinated 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 now witnessing its demise. And it underscored the struggles Egyptian forces face in trying to rein in the insurgency.

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 militancy even before the IS affiliate has emerged at the forefront of the insurgency.

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 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. 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. A number of militants were killed in the shootout, indicating the soldiers had fought back, and some of their vehicles were abandoned at the scene.

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

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the United States strongly condemns the Sinai attack and continues “to stand with Egypt as it confronts terrorism.”

The security officials initially put the death toll at 10 but later told The Associated Press that more bodies were pulled from under the rubble of a nearby building that was used as a rest house for troops.

According to the IS statement, a second car bomber was used in the attack to strike an army convoy sent as a reinforcement to the embattled soldiers. The authenticity of the IS claim could not be verified but it was circulated by IS supporters online and by the U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadi websites.

Earlier, Egyptian army spokesman Tamer el-Rifai confirmed the attack on his official Facebook page, saying that 26 army personnel were killed or wounded. He didn’t provide a breakdown.

He said the army on Friday foiled attacks that targeted a number of other checkpoints in the Rafah area and that 40 militants were killed. Local Sinai residents, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear for their safety, said they saw Apache helicopters carrying out airstrikes across Rafah after the attack. On his page, al-Rifai posted photographs of allegedly slain militants, dressed in military uniforms, typically worn by IS extremists.

The Defense Ministry posted a video on its official website showing aircraft taking off and striking vehicles and positions allegedly belonging to the militants who carried out Friday’s attack.

The attacked checkpoint was set up two months ago to cut a key militant supply line between the outskirts of Rafah, where the district is known to have a heavy IS presence, and central Sinai, where militants have found safe havens in the mountains, according to tribal leader Hassan Khalaf of the Swaraka, one of Sinai’s largest tribes.

The security officials said some senior officers had expressed opposition to the location of the checkpoint, arguing that it provided no real cover for the troops. The nearest army compound was an hour’s drive away, leaving the checkpoint with only the support of local armed tribesmen from the Tarabeen, with their own small checkpoints nearby.

The area was also the site of fierce battles in the spring between the tribesmen and militants.

Despite the insurgency, IS has so far not succeeded in seizing territory in Sinai but maintains a strong presence in the western and southern areas of Rafah, on the outskirts of the town of Sheikh Zuweid, and even inside the residential areas of Sinai’s largest city, el-Arish.

Over the past months, IS has focused its attacks on Egypt’s Christian minority and carried out at least four deadly attacks that killed dozens, prompting army chief-turned-President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to declare a state of emergency in the country.

The restive northern Sinai has been under a state of emergency since October 2014, after Islamic militants killed more than 30 soldiers in a single attack. There was a significant decline in attacks this year in Sinai, with the one major assault killing eight policemen in el-Arish in January.

On July 1, 2015, IS carried series of attacks, killing over 50 soldiers in Sinai. IS said at the time that it attacked some 15 army and police positions and staged three suicide bombings. However, the army denied the high death toll.

The Sinai attack came as the Islamic State group is fast losing its once vast territory in Syria and Iraq. The group’s offshoot in Libya has been uprooted in months-long battles in the central city of Sirte, while its branch in Yemen has failed to seize territories or compete with its al-Qaida rivals.

Faced with the challenge in Sinai, the Egyptian government has accused several Arab and Muslim countries of financing and providing safe haven to Islamic militants — including Qatar, Turkey, and the Hamas group in neighboring Gaza Strip.

Hamas, which is seeking to improve relations with Cairo, quickly condemned Friday’s attack.

“We considers it a criminal, terrorist, and cowardly attack that doesn’t target Egypt only, but the security and stability of the entire Arab nation,” Hamas’ spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said.</s>CAIRO (AP) — An Islamic State affiliate in Egypt claims responsibility for the Sinai attack that killed 23 soldiers.</s>IS claims attack in Egypt’s Sinai that killed 23 soldiers</s>EL-ARISH, Egyp – Islamic militants attacked a remote Egyptian army outpost in the Sinai Peninsula with a suicide car bomb and heavy machine gun fire on 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 IS positions in Sinai.

The coordinated 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 now witnessing its demise. And it underscored the struggles Egyptian forces face in trying to rein in the insurgency.

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 militancy even before the IS affiliate has emerged at the forefront of the insurgency.

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 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. 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. A number of militants were killed in the shootout, indicating the soldiers had fought back, and some of their vehicles were abandoned at the scene.

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the United States strongly condemns the Sinai attack and continues “to stand with Egypt as it confronts terrorism.”

Earlier, Egyptian army spokesman Tamer el-Rifai confirmed the attack on his official Facebook page, saying that 26 army personnel were killed or wounded. He didn’t provide a breakdown.

He said the army on Friday foiled attacks that targeted a number of other checkpoints in the Rafah area and that 40 militants were killed. Local Sinai residents, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear for their safety, said they saw Apache helicopters carrying out airstrikes across Rafah after the attack. On his page, al-Rifai posted photographs of allegedly slain militants, dressed in military uniforms, typically worn by IS extremists.

The Defense Ministry posted a video on its official website showing aircraft taking off and striking vehicles and positions allegedly belonging to the militants who carried out Friday’s attack.

The attacked checkpoint was set up two months ago to cut a key militant supply line between the outskirts of Rafah, where the district is known to have a heavy IS presence, and central Sinai, where militants have found safe havens in the mountains, according to tribal leader Hassan Khalaf of the Swaraka, one of Sinai’s largest tribes.

The security officials said some senior officers had expressed opposition to the location of the checkpoint, arguing that it provided no real cover for the troops. The nearest army compound was an hour’s drive away, leaving the checkpoint with only the support of local armed tribesmen from the Tarabeen, with their own small checkpoints nearby.

The area was also the site of fierce battles in the spring between the tribesmen and militants.

Despite the insurgency, IS has so far not succeeded in seizing territory in Sinai but maintains a strong presence in the western and southern areas of Rafah, on the outskirts of the town of Sheikh Zuweid, and even inside the residential areas of Sinai’s largest city, el-Arish.

Over the past months, IS has focused its attacks on Egypt’s Christian minority and carried out at least four deadly attacks that killed dozens, prompting army chief-turned-President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to declare a state of emergency in the country.

The restive northern Sinai has been under a state of emergency since October 2014, after Islamic militants killed more than 30 soldiers in a single attack. There was a significant decline in attacks this year in Sinai, with the one major assault killing eight policemen in el-Arish in January.

On July 1, 2015, IS carried series of attacks, killing over 50 soldiers in Sinai. IS said at the time that it attacked some 15 army and police positions and staged three suicide bombings. However, the army denied the high death toll.

The Sinai attack came as the Islamic State group is fast losing its once vast territory in Syria and Iraq. The group’s offshoot in Libya has been uprooted in months-long battles in the central city of Sirte, while its branch in Yemen has failed to seize territories or compete with its al-Qaida rivals.

Faced with the challenge in Sinai, the Egyptian government has accused several Arab and Muslim countries of financing and providing safe haven to Islamic militants – including Qatar, Turkey, and the Hamas group in neighboring Gaza Strip.

Hamas, which is seeking to improve relations with Cairo, quickly condemned Friday’s attack.

“We considers it a criminal, terrorist, and cowardly attack that doesn’t target Egypt only, but the security and stability of the entire Arab nation,” Hamas’ spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said.</s>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 coordinated 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. 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. 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 center, 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.

According to the IS statement, a second car bomber was used to strike an army convoy sent to reinforce the embattled soldiers. The IS claim was circulated by supporters online and picked up by the U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadi websites.

Earlier, Egyptian army spokesman Tamer el-Rifai confirmed the attack on his official Facebook page, saying that 26 army personnel were killed or wounded. He didn't provide a breakdown, but added that 40 of the assailants were killed.

Local Sinai residents, speaking on condition of anonymity because they fear for their safety, said they saw Apache helicopters carrying out airstrikes across Rafah after the attack. On his page, al-Rifai posted photographs purporting to show slain militants.

Elsewhere in Egypt on Friday, a police officer was gunned down while heading to a mosque in the outskirts of Cairo. A shadowy militant group suspected of links to the banned Muslim Brotherhood claimed responsibility. The Hasm group has attacked Egyptian security forces in the past but has no known links to the IS affiliate in Sinai.

On Saturday, the Interior Ministry said security forces raided a training camp near the Suez Canal city of Ismailia, killing 14 militants.

IS has not been able to seize and hold territory in Sinai, but it maintains a strong presence in northern areas of the peninsula.

In recent months, it has focused its attacks on Egypt's Christian minority, killing more than a 100 in four major attacks between December and May. The attacks prompted President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, a former army chief, to declare a nationwide state of emergency.

The restive northern Sinai has been under a state of emergency since October 2014, after Islamic militants killed more than 30 soldiers in a single attack. There was a significant decline in attacks this year in Sinai, but one major assault killed eight policemen in el-Arish in January.

On July 1, 2015, IS carried out a series of coordinated attacks, including suicide bombings, against army and police positions in Sinai, killing at least 50. However, the army said only 17 soldiers and over 100 militants were killed.</s>The Latest on the attack in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula (all times local):

Egyptian security officials have raised the toll from a blitz attack by Islamic militants in Sinai to 23 soldiers killed and 33 wounded, making it one of the deadliest attacks in the volatile peninsula this year.

Officials say that the militants unleashed a suicide car bomb and heavy gunfire on an Egyptian military checkpoint in northeastern Sinai Peninsula on Friday morning.

The officials initially put the death toll at 10. They later told The Associated Press that more bodies were retrieved from the rubble of a demolished building at the site.

The attack took place in the village of el-Barth just south of the town of Rafah. The officials say five officers are among those killed, including a high-ranking special forces officer, Col. Ahmed el-Mansi.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren’t authorized to speak to the media.

Egyptian officials say at least 10 security troops have been killed when a car bomb struck a military checkpoint followed by heavy gunfire in northeastern Sinai Peninsula.

The officials say that the Friday attack started when a suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into the checkpoint in southern Rafah village of el-Barth, followed by heavy shooting by dozens of masked militants on foot. The dead included a high ranking special forces officer and at least 20 others were wounded in the attack.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak to the media. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Egypt has in recent years been battling a stepped-up insurgency in northern Sinai, mainly by militants from an Islamic State group affiliate.</s>CAIRO — The Latest on the situation in Egypt and the deadly militant attack in the Sinai Peninsula (all times local):

An Islamic State affiliate in Egypt has claimed responsibility for the attack on a military checkpoint in the country’s Sinai Peninsula earlier in the day that killed 23 soldiers and wounded 33 others.

The group said in an online statement that it used two suicide car bombers and a number of fighters who were willing to die to stage the attack on Friday morning.

It said the attack came as the Egyptian army was preparing an assault against the IS group’s positions in the region.

The authenticity of the statement could not be verified but it was released on twitter as similar claims have been in the past.

The statement further claimed that IS lost only five of its own fighters in the assault.

The United States says it’s strongly condemning the attack in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula that killed at least 23 Egyptian troops.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert says that the U.S. continues “to stand with Egypt as it confronts terrorism.”

Nauert says the U.S. sends its condolences to the families of the victims of Friday’s assault and wishes a speedy recovery to the wounded.

Egyptian officials say 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. They say that heavy gunfire then followed from dozens of masked militants on foot.

Egyptian security and medical officials say two civilians were killed and four were wounded when a mortar shell hit their vehicle in the central city of el-Arish in northeastern Sinai Peninsula.

The officials say the incident took place in the el-Zohor district on Friday evening. They say the wounded — all from a single family — are in critical condition.

It wasn’t immediately clear who fired the mortar shell. The district of el-Zohor is home to a military camp and also has a presence of IS militants.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media.

The deaths came hours after Islamic militants attacked a checkpoint south of the town of Rafah, killing 23 soldiers and wounding 33 others. No group has claimed responsibility for that attack.

Egypt’s Interior Ministry says a police officer was gunned down in a drive-by shooting in Cairo as he was heading to prayers at a mosque near his home.

The ministry’s statement says assailants on a motorcycle drove by, opened fire and killed Capt. Ibrahim Azazi as he was leaving his house on Friday and heading to the mosque. It says security forces are searching for the assailants.

The attack came just hours after heavily armed Islamic militants carried a blitz attack at a checkpoint on the southern edge of the border town of Rafah in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, killing 23 troops and wounding 33.

No group has claimed responsibility for either of the attacks.

The Egyptian military has released a video showing fighter jets targeting militants shortly after a Sinai attack that killed 23 soldiers.

The Defence Ministry posted a video on its official website showing the aircraft taking off and striking vehicles and positions allegedly belonging to the Islamic militants who carried out the deadly attack earlier on Friday.

The ministry says the strikes took place near the border town of Rafah and killed 40 militants and wounded dozens. The ministry’s account could not be independently confirmed as that part of the Sinai Peninsula is off limits to the media.

It says the armed forces, backed by the Egyptian air force, foiled other attacks against checkpoints in the same town. It added that the armed forces are chasing militants who are hiding in mountainous areas.

The Islamic militant Hamas group, which rules the Gaza Strip, has denounced the attack earlier in the day in Egypt’s Sinai as a “terrorist” assault.

The condemnation came just hours after Islamic militants killed 23 Egyptian troops and wounded 33 at a checkpoint near Egypt’s border with Gaza on Friday.

Hamas’ spokesman Fawzi Barhoum says the group considers the attack in Sinai “a criminal, a terrorist, and a coward attack that doesn’t target Egypt only, but the security and stability of the entire Arab nation.”

Hamas has been trying to improve ties with neighbouring Egypt and is currently creating a buffer zone on its side of the Gaza-Egypt border to curb militant crossings.

Egypt has accused Hamas of fomenting unrest in the region and aiding the insurgency in the northern Sinai Peninsula, especially in the aftermath of the 2013 ouster of Islamic President Mohammed Morsi, who hails from the Muslim Brotherhood organization. The Brotherhood is considered the mother group of Hamas.

Egypt and Israel have imposed a blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power there in 2007.

Egyptian security officials have raised the toll from a blitz attack by Islamic militants in Sinai to 23 soldiers killed and 33 wounded, making it one of the deadliest attacks in the volatile peninsula this year.

Officials say that the militants unleashed a suicide car bomb and heavy gunfire on an Egyptian military checkpoint in northeastern Sinai Peninsula on Friday morning.

The officials initially put the death toll at 10. They later told The Associated Press that more bodies were retrieved from the rubble of a demolished building at the site.

The attack took place in the village of el-Barth just south of the town of Rafah. The officials say five officers are among those killed, including a high-ranking special forces officer, Col. Ahmed el-Mansi.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren’t authorized to speak to the media.

Egyptian officials say at least 10 security troops have been killed when a car bomb struck a military checkpoint followed by heavy gunfire in northeastern Sinai Peninsula.

The officials say that the Friday attack started when a suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into the checkpoint in southern Rafah village of el-Barth, followed by heavy shooting by dozens of masked militants on foot. The dead included a high ranking special forces officer and at least 20 others were wounded in the attack.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak to the media. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Egypt has in recent years been battling a stepped-up insurgency in northern Sinai, mainly by militants from an Islamic State group affiliate.</s>Islamic militants unleashed a suicide car bomb and heavy gunfire on an Egyptian military checkpoint in northeastern Sinai Peninsula on Friday, killing 23 troops and wounding 33, officials said.

Among those killed in the attack – the deadliest on the country’s military this year – were five officers, including a high-ranking special forces colonel, Ahmed el-Mansi, according to security officials.

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, followed by heavy gunfire from dozens of masked militants on foot, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

As the attack unfolded, ambulance sirens were heard from a distance rushing to the site. The officials initially put the death toll at 10 but later said that more bodies were pulled from under the rubble of a nearby building, used as a rest house for troops, that was destroyed in the attack.

The militants 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, the officials said. The troop presence at the compound is estimated to have numbered about 60 soldiers.

After the attack, the militants looted the checkpoint, taking away weapons and ammunition before fleeing the scene, the officials added. It was unclear if they also took armoured vehicles as well.

The next 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.

The wider area of the attack is considered to be an IS stronghold and was the site of fierce battles in the spring between the tribesmen and militants. The officials told The Associated Press that some senior officers have voiced opposition to the location of the checkpoint, arguing that it provided no real cover.

Earlier, Egyptian army spokesman Tamer el-Rifai confirmed the attack on his official Facebook page, saying that 26 army personnel were killed or wounded in Friday’s attack. He didn’t prove a breakdown.

He said the army foiled attacks targeting a number of other checkpoints in the Rafah area and that 40 militants were killed. Witnesses said that they saw Apache helicopters carrying out airstrikes across Rafah after the attack. On his page, al-Rifai posted photographs of allegedly slain militants dressed in military uniforms.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Egypt has been battling a stepped-up insurgency in northern Sinai in recent years, mainly by militants from an Islamic State affiliate.

Though the IS affiliate has not managed to seize territory in Sinai it has a strong presence in the western and southern area of Rafah in the peninsula, on the outskirts of the town of Sheikh Zuweid, and inside the residential area of Sinai’s largest city, el-Arish.

Over the past months, IS has focused its attacks on Egypt’s Christian minority and carried out at least four deadly attacks that killed dozens, prompting army chief-turned-President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to declare a state of emergency in the country. However, the restive northern Sinai has been under a state of emergency since October, 2014 after Islamic militants killed more than 30 soldiers in a single attack.

In January, eight policemen were killed in the city of el-Arish in a car bomb explosion.

The Sinai branch of the Islamic State group appears to be the most resilient outside Syria and Iraq, where the so-called caliphate is now witnessing its demise. The group’s offshoot in Libya has been uprooted in months-long battles in the central city of Sirte while its branch in Yemen has failed to seize territories or compete with its al-Qaida rivals.
Masked militants attack an Egyptian Army checkpoint in a village south of Rafah, North Sinai Governorate, killing at least 23 soldiers, including a high-ranking special forces colonel. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria later claims responsibility. The attack included VBIED and signal jamming.