Turkey condemns attack in Egypt's Sinai

By Satuk Bugra Kutlugun

ANKARA

Turkey's Foreign Ministry on Saturday condemned the attack that killed over 20 soldiers in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula the previous day.

On Friday, at least 26 soldiers were killed or injured in a suicide bomb attack claimed by the Daesh terrorist group in the northern Sinai Peninsula.

"We condemn yesterday’s terrorist attacks at an army checkpoint in northern Sinai, Egypt," the statement from the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. "We convey our condolences to the bereaved families and the people of Egypt, and wish a speedy recovery to the wounded."

Also on Saturday, an Egyptian policeman was killed in a drive-by shooting in the Sinai Peninsula.

Gunmen on a motorbike opened fire on the policeman in the North Sinai city of Arish, killing him on the spot before they fled the scene unscathed, a local security official said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to media.

There was no claim of responsibility for the attack.

Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula has remained the epicenter of a deadly militant insurgency since mid-2013, when Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first freely-elected president, was ousted in a bloody military coup.

Since then, hundreds of Egyptian security personnel have been killed in attacks across the volatile region, especially in northeastern Sinai, which shares borders with both Israel and the blockaded Gaza Strip.

The Egyptian authorities, for their part, say they are battling the Sinai ("Province of Sinai") group, which is said to have links with the Daesh terrorist organization.