IS-affiliated Sinai militants kill three civilians for ‘cooperating with Egyptian security forces’

Tribal sources have reported that Islamic State affiliated militants have attacked a village in northeastern Sinai and killed three civilians for cooperating with Egyptian security forces.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab Staff

04 July, 2020

Militants have waged a long-running insurgency against Egyptian security forces in Sinai [Getty]

The Islamic State extremist group’s local affiliate in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula killed three civilians near the city of Sheikh Zuwayed in the northeast of the peninsula on Saturday morning, accusing them of cooperating with Egyptian security forces.

Local tribal sources told The New Arab’s Arabic-language service that militants from the IS-affiliated “Sinai Province” (Wilayat Sina) group took advantage of foggy weather conditions to infiltrate the village of Al-Jura near Sheikh Zuwayed and attack a number of members of the Sawarkah tribe.

The three people killed were Salama Al-Bali, a judge, Mahmoud Khedr, an accountant, and Khedr’s son Mohammed.

Two other people were injured and they were taken to hospital after the militants withdrew from the area.

Troops from the Egyptian army also entered the village after the IS-affiliated militants withdrew.

Militants in Sinai have waged an insurgency against the Egyptian state since 2011, killing scores of Egyptian soldiers. The insurgency intensified after current President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s 2013 military coup.

Human rights groups have accused both the militants and the Egyptian government of severe human rights violations, saying that the Egyptian army has killed civilians in its campaign against the IS-affiliated group.

The Egyptian army said that it killed dozens of IS affiliated in May but local sources have accused it of summarily executing detained civilians as well.

The Sinai Peninsula is also under threat from coronavirus and healthcare workers have warned that it will not be able to cope if cases increase.