(Reuters) Yusri Mohamed - Egypt on Wednesday launched air strikes around the town of Sheikh Zuwaid, 10 km. from Gaza, following clashes overnight between armed men and security forces at several checkpoints in northern Sinai. More than 20 suspected Islamic militants were killed in the crackdown on jihadists blamed for a deadly attack on Egyptian border police on Sunday. On Tuesday night, armed men opened fire on several checkpoints in al-Arish, the main state security and administrative center for northern Sinai. Gunmen also attacked checkpoints in Rafah, adjacent to Gaza. Three policemen and one resident were wounded. Israel says it has agreed in the past to Egyptian requests to bring more troops into Sinai and the terms of the peace treaty are no obstacle to combating militants threatening both countries. "What we see in Egypt is a strong fury, a determination of the regime and the army to take care of it and impose order in Sinai because that is their responsibility," senior Israeli defense official Amos Gilad told Israel Radio on Wednesday. "If they don't remove and uproot (the threat), it will continue to strike."
2012-08-08 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive