Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — The Islamist revolt has been targeting Egypt’s police force.

On Jan. 23, the Egyptian Interior Ministry reported the killing of five police officers in an apparent Islamist strike.

The ministry said the attack by a squad on two motorcycles targeted a checkpoint in Beni Suef, 100 kilometers south of Cairo.

“They opened heavy fire on the forces at the checkpoint,” the Interior Ministry said.

Officials said Islamist gunmen linked to Al Qaida have focused on police patrols and checkpoints.

The officials said most of the attacks took place outside Cairo, where law enforcement was deemed lax.

“They survey an area and see whether there are individual or small groups of police that can be attacked without fear of capture,” an official said.

Officials said the attacks were the result of coordination between
Al Qaida and the ousted Muslim Brotherhood movement. They said the two forces joined to target and kill military and police, particularly in northern Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula.

“The Brotherhood knows the area well and the Salafists [Al Qaida] are
well-trained in weapons and bombs,” the official said.

  Beni Suef, Cairo police headquarters bombed as Islamists intensify attacks, Egyptian Interior Ministry, Islamists intensify attacks on Egyptian police, Muslim Brotherhood