Rocket attack on Egyptian security forces in Sinai tied to ISIL

Special to WorldTribune.com

Islamic State of Iraq and Levant’s (ISIL’s) affiliate in Egypt is suspected in an April 19 rocket attack that killed three Egyptian security personnel.

egypt-sinai-map_2303328b-300x187Egypt’s Interior Ministry said a police vehicle was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade fired by jihadists in the north Sinai town of Sheikh Zuweid. Three riot policemen were killed and eight others wounded.

Dozens of security personnel have been killed in attacks since the beginning of this year. Sinai Province, the ISIL affiliate in Egypt, has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks and the Interior Ministry said the April 19 attack bore the hallmarks of the ISIL affiliate.

Sinai Peninsula has been under a state of emergency since October 2014, following a terrorist attack that claimed the lives of 33 Egyptian soldiers.