A militant assault on an Egyptian army checkpoint in Sinai marked escalating insurgent activity in a region largely spared prior violence.
Key Facts
- Date
- 14 October 2016
- Location
- Bir al-Abed, 40 km west of Al-Arish
- Militants killed
- ~15
- Perpetrator
- Islamic State's Wilayat Sinai branch
- Weapons used
- Assault rifles, mortars, rockets, heavier weapons
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the 2013 ouster of President Mohamed Morsi, an Islamist insurgency intensified across northern Sinai. The region had experienced sustained militant activity for years, though Bir al-Abed had largely been insulated from the worst violence until this point.
On 14 October 2016, a group of militants armed with assault rifles, mortars, and rockets attacked an Egyptian army checkpoint in Bir al-Abed. Islamic State's Wilayat Sinai branch claimed responsibility via a statement released the same day, marking a significant geographic expansion of the insurgency.
Egyptian military forces responded to the attack, killing approximately 15 militants. The assault drew renewed attention to the broadening reach of Sinai-based militants and came shortly before the first anniversary of the Metrojet Flight 9268 crash over the Sinai Peninsula.