RTFri, 24 Nov 2017 14:59 UTC
A scene inside the mosque that was attacked
The explosion took place in the vicinity of a mosque during Friday prayer and was accompanied by an armed attack carried out by
suspected militants, Reuters reports, citing eyewitnesses and security sources.
State media showed images of bloodied victims and bodies covered in blankets inside the Al Rawdah mosque in Bir al-Abed, west of the city of El Arish. Those fleeing the mosque were then reportedly attacked by gunmen.
Eyewitnesses reported ambulances transporting injured people to nearby hospitals. Local media is
reporting that
the ambulances also came under attack by the gunmen."They were shooting at people as they left the mosque," a local resident, whose relatives were at the scene, told Reuters.
"They were shooting at the ambulances too."Arabiya news channel and some local sources said
some of the worshippers were Sufis, who hardliners such as Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) regard as apostates because they revere saints and shrines, which for Islamists is tantamount to idolatry.The office of Egyptian President Abdelfattah El-Sisi has declared three days of mourning, according to
Shorouk News. State TV reports five militants were involved in the attack.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent condolences to the Egyptian president, describing Friday's attack as cruel and cynical.
"The murder of civilians in the course of a religious service is striking with its cruelty and cynicism. We are once again convinced that the notion of human morality is absolutely alien to terrorists," Putin said in a telegram of condolences.
The sparsely-populated Sinai peninsula has been the scene of numerous clashes between government forces and armed movements. President El-Sisi described it as a
"nesting ground for terrorism" following a suicide bombing that killed 31 soldiers in 2014.
In October, 24 Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants and six Egyptian soldiers were killed in a series of coordinated attacks on checkpoints.
Comment: That's the problem with large scale state funding of terrorist organisations as proxy armies, there's always the clear and present danger that they will start to believe they're a real army and start taking measures on their own initiative. Not that this terrible event in Egypt today is necessarily a 'genuine' terror attack - it could easily be yet another 'destabilization' effort by Western powers, Israel and their Gulf royalty allies - but the idea of Western-backed terror groups 'gone rogue' is always a possibility.
Update: The
death toll is now at least 235. State TV says that 5 attackers were involved:
Following the attack, el-Sisi vowed to "vigorously" respond to the actions of the terrorists. "It is a cowardly attack that aims to destabilize the [Egyptian] unity, spread bitterness, and make us doubt our abilities," he said, addressing the nation. "However, this attack will do nothing but make us stronger and more persistent to combat terrorism," the president added.
A major campaign, 'Operation Revenge of the Martyrs,' has been launched following the attacks, the news outlet reported. Egyptian security forces then allegedly killed 15 extremists involved in the mosque attack in a drone strike in the Al-Risha desert, not far from Bir al-Abed where the attack took place, Sky News Arabia reports citing security sources.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent condolences to the Egyptian president, describing Friday's attack as cruel and cynical. "The murder of civilians in the course of a religious service is striking with its cruelty and cynicism. We are once again convinced that the notion of human morality is absolutely alien to terrorists," Putin said in a channel on the messaging app Telegram.
US President Donald Trump described the attack as "cowardly," while stressing that the world must defeat terrorists militarily.
Update (Nov. 25): The Ahram news agency
reports that the Egyptian public prosecutor's office has confirmed that the toll has now risen to 305, and that the mosque attackers were carrying ISIS flags:
The militants arrived at the Bir al-Abd mosque in five all-terrain vehicles, took up positions at the mosque's door and 12 windows and started firing on worshippers inside, Egypt's chief prosecutor Nabil Sadeq said in a statement Saturday. They are also said to have set fire to seven cars parked outside the mosque.
People ran for their lives after the gunmen detonated a bomb at Al-Rawdah mosque at the end of Friday prayers. They then opened fire on those fleeing and ambulances that arrived at the scene.
According to the Egyptian Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper, the prosecutor has been hearing witnesses who confirmed that some of the attackers were masked, while all were dressed in military-style clothes. One of the perpetrators was reportedly carrying a black flag, saying "I bear witness that there is no God but Allah, that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah."
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for what is believed to be the worst attack in Egypt's recent history. The country's president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi vowed "the military and the police will take revenge," saying the attack has only prompted Cairo to step up its efforts in targeting terrorism.
Comment: That's the problem with large scale state funding of terrorist organisations as proxy armies, there's always the clear and present danger that they will start to believe they're a real army and start taking measures on their own initiative. Not that this terrible event in Egypt today is necessarily a 'genuine' terror attack - it could easily be yet another 'destabilization' effort by Western powers, Israel and their Gulf royalty allies - but the idea of Western-backed terror groups 'gone rogue' is always a possibility.
Update: The death toll is now at least 235. State TV says that 5 attackers were involved: Update (Nov. 25): The Ahram news agency reports that the Egyptian public prosecutor's office has confirmed that the toll has now risen to 305, and that the mosque attackers were carrying ISIS flags: