Sinai Security: One Year in Power

Basil El-Dabh
5 Min Read
A 2,500 metre long tunnel was discovered Sunday in Egypt's North Sinai. (AFP/File, Thomas Coex)
A Palestinian man works at a tunnel used for smuggling goods into the Gaza Strip (AFP/File, Thomas Coex)
A Palestinian man works at a tunnel used for smuggling goods into the Gaza Strip (AFP/File, Thomas Coex)

1 July- A police officer was shot dead in his car in Sinai with two bullets found in his legs and three in his head.

 

13 July- An unarmed Gazan was killed by Israeli border police along Israel’s 240-kilometre border with Sinai.

 

13 July- Two Americans and their Egyptian tour guide were kidnapped by Jirmy Abu-Masuh, who demanded the release of his uncle.

 

16 July- After negotiations with security services in Sinai, Abu-Masuh released the three hostages.

 

19 July- Two soldiers were shot dead while on patrol in North Sinai on Thursday in the town of Sheikh Zuweid.

 

22 July- A pipeline carrying gas to Israel and Jordan was bombed for the 15th time since the revolution.

 

24 July- Two Egyptian soldiers were shot on Monday while attempting to stop smugglers from crossing into Israel.

 

2 August- The Israeli government called on tourists in the Sinai region to leave immediately, citing intelligence that Gaza-based groups were planning to target Israelis for kidnapping.

 

5 August- Armed men attacked Egyptian border guards near the Rafah border crossing, killing 16 of them and injuring seven. President Mohamed Morsi delivered a speech shortly after the attack vowing to punish the culprits, calling on the police and army to regain control over Sinai.

 

7 August- A military funeral for those killed in the border attack was held in Cairo in Al-Rashdan Mosque. Field Marshall Mohamed Tantawi, Prime Minister Hesham Qandil, and other prominent figures attended.

 

8 August- The Egyptian army carried out air raids in a mountain near the Israeli border, where the attackers in the Rafah border assault were thought to be hiding. At least twenty were reportedly killed in the attack. During this period the Egyptian military referred to its campaign to locate attackers as “Operation Eagle.”

 

12 August- Khalaf El-Menahy, a tribal leader, and his son were killed by unidentified gunmen.

 

20 August- Minister of Defence Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi told tribal leaders that the names of those who carried out the Rafah border attacks would be released “within days.”

 

26 August- Bedouin Ibrahim Madan was killed by a “mystery rocket,” thought to have been the result of an Israeli drone.

 

Late September- Copts in Rafah received death threats as Governor Abdel Fattah Harhour of North Sinai facilitated their fleeing.

 

1 October- Christians begin returning to their homes in Rafah amid high levels of security.

 

27 October- Five children were shot in a playground in El-Tor, Sinai after a dispute between the owner and family members.

 

28 October: Taxi driver Mahmoud El-Matary was shot in the head while trying to escape police forces, after he allegedly refused to stop at a security checkpoint in Al-Arish.

 

3 November- Three policemen were killed and a fourth wounded after an attack by masked gunmen in Al-Arish.

 

11 January- An Egyptian police officer and six recruits were wounded when gunmen attacked their patrol. The assailants remain unidentified.

 

28 January- Heavy rains and floods in South Sinai led to two deaths and 19 injuries.

 

7 March- Two Britons were kidnapped, but released shortly afterwards following “intense” negotiations between kidnappers and security officials.

 

22 March- Two tourists, an Israeli and a Norwegian, were kidnapped while vacationing in Dahab in South Sinai.

 

26 March- The two hostages were released.

 

5 May- Armed men opened fire at a police checkpoint in Al-Arish, shooting one officer in the jaw.

 

16 May- Unidentified gunmen kidnapped seven off-duty security personnel on Thursday.

 

22 May- The seven hostages were released and the presidency claimed no negotiations took place with the kidnappers, who remain unidentified.

 

9 June- Policeman Captain Mohamed Abou Shaqra was killed in an attack in Al-Arish during a gunfight with two unidentified gunmen.

 

Share This Article
1 Comment