Egypt: Attack On Water Pumping Station

The Egyptian armed forces have announced that 11 military have been killed and 5 wounded in an an attack on a water pumping station in Qantara, a city to the North of the Sinai Peninsula.

The attack has been claimed by an Islamic State affiliate in Egypt. The militants attacked troops at a checkpoint guarding the water facility and the fled to the desert.

An Egyptian army spokesman said: “The terrorist elements are being chased and besieged in one of the isolated areas in Sinai.”

Egyptian president Al-Sisi published a message on Facebook saying: “I assure you that these treacherous terrorist operations will not have the will and determination of the people of this country and its armed forces to complete the uprooting of terrorism.”

Islamic State militants have increased activity since, in 2013, President Mohamed Morsi was overthrown. Morsi was the first democratically elected president after the Arab Spring events and was the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood.