IS militants kill pro-army Sinai leader outside Cairo
Member of Sawarqa tribe, among the biggest in Sinai, was wanted dead for giving Egyptian military information and vocal support
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) — A pro-army tribal leader that fled the restive northern Sinai for his safety has been killed in front of his home outside of Cairo, the latest sign that the peninsula’s Islamic insurgency has spread its reach to Egypt’s mainland, Egyptian security and tribal officials said Friday.
The shooting took place late Wednesday in the quiet city of Obour, northeast of Cairo, the officials said. Khaled el-Maniee of the Sawarqa tribe, among the biggest in Sinai, was wanted dead by militants for giving the military information and vocal support, they added.
Egypt’s Islamic State affiliate claimed responsibility for the assassination, according to a statement circulated on Twitter by IS sympathizers.
El-Maniee’s father and two brothers were also killed by militants following the 2011 fall of longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak, which intensified the Sinai attacks. The 2013 military overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi and the security crackdown on Islamic groups further exacerbated matters in Sinai.
All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to brief reporters or fear reprisals.
Last week, two Egyptian soldiers were killed by a roadside car bomb in northern Sinai, in an attack claimed by a local Islamic State affiliate.
Sixteen other soldiers were injured in the explosion in the provincial capital el-Arish. The car, parked on the side of the road, exploded when the soldiers’ vehicle was passing by, according to the statement.
The Islamic State affiliate in Egypt claimed responsibility for the attack, according to a statement circulated on Twitter by IS sympathizers.
Three weeks ago, the Egyptian army said it launched an operation to “eliminate terrorist elements” around the north Sinai towns of Rafah, Sheikh Zuweid and El-Arish.
It said in a statement that 29 jihadists were killed along with an officer and a soldier in the fighting.
The Egyptian government has been battling a long-running insurgency in northern Sinai, which escalated after the military ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in July 2013 amid massive protests against his rule and cracked down on Islamic groups.
While the violence has largely been confined to Sinai, bombs have also hit other parts of the country, including Cairo.
