Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — The Suez Canal has become a leading target of the Islamist
insurgency in Egypt.

On Oct. 7, suspected Islamist fighters ambushed an Egyptian Army patrol
near the Suez Canal. Officials said six soldiers, including an officer, were
killed outside Ismailia.

“Masked assailants fired at the patrol from a private car,” an official said.

Officials said the ousted Muslim Brotherhood has joined Al Qaida-aligned fighters in attacks on Egyptian military and government installations. They said the insurgency campaign in the Sinai Peninsula also included members of Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip.

Authorities also reported attacks in Cairo and Sinai. In
the southern Sinai town of Al Tor, two people were killed and 48 injured in a car bombing near Egyptian security headquarters.

The attack in Cairo was conducted with rocket-propelled grenades, the
first such strike on the African mainland since the ouster of Egypt’s first
Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi, in July 2013. Officials said RPG attack
targeted a telecommunications facility.

“Unidentified people opened fire on a satellite receiver station in
Cairo’s Mahdi neighborhood,” the Interior Ministry said.

The insurgency offensive took place in the wake of clashes between
security forces and Brotherhood protesters. On Oct. 6, at least 53
were killed in Cairo and other cities in what included attacks on police
stations.

  Gaza Strip, Ismailia, Mohammed Morsi, Sinai Peninsula, Suez Canal targeted: Muslim Brotherhood fighters join forces with Al Qaida insurgents, target Suez Canal