Cairo: A state of emergency came into force Saturday across much of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula after 30 soldiers were killed in a suicide car bombing by suspected militants.
It was the deadliest attack on the country’s security forces since the army deposed Islamist president Mohammad Mursi last year, to the fury of his supporters. The state of emergency, which took effect from 0300 GMT in the north and centre of the Sinai, will remain in place for three months, the president’s office said.
A curfew is in force from 5 pm to 7 am.
Egypt also announced it would close the Rafah crossing into the Gaza Strip, the only route into the Palestinian territory not controlled by Israel.
“The army and the police will take all necessary measures to tackle the dangers of terrorism and its financing, to preserve the security of the region... and protect the lives of citizens,” the presidential decree said.
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces was due to meet on Saturday to decide what measures to implement under the state of emergency.
The bombing on Friday was carried out by a suspected militant who rammed a checkpoint with his explosives-packed vehicle, security officials said. The attack, in an agricultural area northwest of Al Arish, the main town in north Sinai, also left 29 other soldiers wounded, medics said.
A senior army official and five officers were said to be among those wounded. Gunmen also shot dead an officer and wounded two soldiers on Friday at another checkpoint south of Al Arish, security officials said.
Militants in the peninsula have killed scores of policemen and soldiers since Mursi’s overthrow to avenge a bloody police crackdown on his supporters. The attacks have dealt a further blow to a tourism industry already reeling after a 2011 uprising that overthrew long-time president Hosni Mubarak.
While south Sinai is dotted with tourist resorts on the Red Sea - a popular destination for scuba divers - the lawless north is a base for militants who have launched a wave of attacks, mostly targeting security forces. The peninsula’s southern coastline has been largely spared from the violence rocking the country since the 2011 revolt, partly thanks to security checkpoints in the region.
But it has not been completely untouched by the militants. President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi, the army chief who toppled Mursi and later won elections, has pledged to eradicate the militants.
After Friday’s attack, Al Sissi announced three days of national mourning and summoned a meeting of the national defence council - the country’s highest security body - to discuss the killings, his office said. The European Union and United States both denounced the attack.
“A prosperous and dynamic Egypt requires an environment of security and stability,” the State Department said. From the desert and mountainous Sinai, which borders the Gaza Strip and Israel, the attacks have also extended to the capital and the Nile Delta to the north.
While militants have been killed or arrested, the army has been unable so far to crush them despite a massive operation in which it has deployed attack helicopters and tanks. The latest bombing came after an Egyptian military court sentenced to death seven members of Ansar Beit Al Maqdis on Tuesday for deadly attacks on the army.
