The Islamic State appears to have escalated its attacks in Sinai, launching simultaneous attacks on multiple military checkpoints Wednesday morning. Egyptian military officials claimed that 100 militants and 17 soldiers were killed in the attacks but local newspapers reported much higher numbers for soldier casualties.
The Islamic State’s Egyptian affiliate, Sinai Province, claimed responsibility for the attacks saying they targeted more than 15 security sites and launched 3 suicide bombings.
Unlike previous attacks by IS in Egypt’s North-Eastern province, this time they appeared to try to advance after the attacks instead of retreating. The BBC reported it as one of the “largest coordinated assaults yet by militants in Sinai.”
While militants in the North-Eastern Sinai province have attacked Egyptian military forces for years, the scale and number of attacks have steadily increased since the army ousted former Egyptian President Morsi in July 2013.
Also on Wednesday, security officials reported that nine members of former President Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood had been killed in a police raid in western Cairo.