Egyptian authorities say that seven policemen are killed in Sinai attack

Seven Egyptian policemen were killed in an attack claimed by the ISIL armed group in restive north Sinai.

Egypt’s interior ministry said the attack late Tuesday near the regional capital El-Arish targeted an “assembly centre” for police, adding an officer was among the dead.

Four fighters, including a suicide bomber, also died during clashes following the attack, the ministry said.

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility, saying it carried out simultaneous raids on military positions in Arish, according to a statement carried on the group’s Amaq website.

Security sources said the assailants used about 10 four-wheel drive vehicles in coordinated attacks at four sites.

North Sinai has long been a stronghold of armed groups and Egyptian authorities last year launched an offensive against them.

Egypt is currently on high alert as it hosts the Africa Cup of Nations, although none of the games are taking place in Sinai.

A month before the tournament kicked off, a tourist bus was hit by a roadside bomb near the pyramids of Giza, wounding 17 people including South African tourists and Egyptians.

A similar attack in December killed three Vietnamese and their Egyptian tour guide.

Egypt has battled an insurgency in northern Sinai since the 2011 uprising that toppled long-time autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Attacks intensified in 2013 after the army deposed Mohammed Morsi, the first democratically elected president of Egypt.

After his ouster, Morsi was detained and tried in several cases. He died last week at the age of 67 after suddenly collapsing inside a courtroom in Cairo.

Source: Aljazeera