Islamic State militants kill prominent Egypt tribal leader in Sinai

Islamic State (IS) group militants killed one of the most prominent tribal leaders cooperating with the Egyptian army in the country's Sinai Peninsula on Monday morning, local sources said.

Hamid Al-Wat, a leader of the Al-Tarabin Bedouin tribe, was killed by members of IS affiliate Wilayat Sinai in North Sinai Governorate, tribal sources told The New Arab's Arabic sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

The sources said Al-Wat was one of the most noteworthy sheikhs of the Al-Tarabin Bedouin and had fought alongside the Egyptian army and intelligence services in Sinai for many years.

IS militants were able to target Al-Wat at his home without tribal groups or the Egyptian army being able to protect him, according to the sources.

Islamist militants have waged an insurgency in Sinai for many years and this intensified following current Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's 2013 military coup.

Medical sources also reported the death of a man from Al-Armilat tribe after an explosive device went off in Al-Husseinat village on the coast near the northeastern Sinai city of Rafah, near the border with the Gaza Strip.

The medical sources added that four other people were injured in the same incident and transferred to a hospital in Al-Arish, the capital of North Sinai.

The North Sinai Governorate has seen a decline in activity from the Egyptian army and affiliated tribal groups in the past few days.