Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 12 sepTember 2017

Militants attack convoy in

Egypt’s Sinai, kill 18 police

By ASHRAF SWEILAM
HAMZA HENDAWI
Associated Press
EL-ARISH, Egypt (AP) — Islamic State militants am-
bushed a police convoy in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula on
Monday, killing 18 police and wounding seven others
in one of the deadliest attacks this year in the restive
region bordering Israel and the Gaza Strip.
Police and military officials said roadside bombs de-
stroyed and set ablaze four armored vehicles and a
fifth carrying signal-jamming equipment meant to
neutralize roadside bombs that are remotely detonat-
ed. The gunmen later opened fire with machine guns
and commandeered a police pickup truck.
Among those killed were two police lieutenants. The
wounded included a police brigadier general, ac-
cording to the officials, speaking on condition of ano-
nymity because they were not authorized to brief me-
dia. The Islamic State group, which is spearheading
Protesters hold copies of the Cumhuriyet newspaper, with headlines in Turkish reading: ‘We Want
Justice” as they protest against the trial of journalists and staff from the newspaper, accused of an insurgency centered in northern Sinai, claimed re-
aiding terror organizations, outside the court in Silivri, Turkey, Monday, Sept. 11, 2017. sponsibility for the attack on its Aamaq news agency.
(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) The Interior Ministry, which oversees the police, issued
a statement confirming the incident, but its account
Rights group: provided no details on casualty figures or how many

vehicles were destroyed.
Turkey newspaper trial is a ‘mockery’ It said police traveling in the convoy fired at a car
that rushed toward them, causing it to blow up and
damage several of the convoy’s vehicles. That was
By ZEYNEP BILGINSOY Deloire spoke to The Asso- ny Monday that he had followed by an exchange of gunfire with “terrorist ele-
Associated Press ciated Press outside Silivri downloaded ByLock — an ments” hiding in the desert on both sides of the road.
ISTANBUL (AP) — A media prison on the outskirts of Is- encrypted messaging ap- “That led to the martyrdom and wounding of some of
advocacy group on Mon- tanbul where five Cumhuri- plication allegedly used the convoy’s personnel,” it cryptically added.
day accused Turkey’s pres- yet employees are being by Gulen’s network. He “Reinforcements were swiftly sent, the site has been
ident of trying to silence the held in pre-trial detention. also rejected claims that sealed off and combing operations are underway,” it
country’s main opposition Among the jailed are edi- he supported the coup said. Egypt’s Cabinet issued a statement in response
newspaper and the free tor-in-chief Murat Sabuncu through tweets. His case to the attack, reiterating the country’s resolve to
press generally, as the sec- and columnist Kadri Gursel, was recently added to this stamp out terrorism and hunt down militants. Again,
ond hearing in the trial of who have been in prison trial. the statement provided no casualty figures or details
staff members of the paper for 316 days, as well as in- “I’m not a terrorist. No Cum- of the attack.
began Monday. vestigative journalist Ahmet huriyet staff is a terrorist,” he The U.S. State Department condemned the attack on
Christophe Deloire, the sec- Sik, in prison for 255 days. said. Monday. Spokesperson Heather Nauert said the U.S.
retary general of Reporters Prosecutors have charged Columnist Gursel said his would “continue to stand with Egypt as it confronts the
Without Borders, called the 19 employees of the pa- defense in the first hear- threat from terrorism.”
case against Turkey’s pro- per with “sponsoring terror ing in July during which he Monday’s attack took place on a road on the west-
secular Cumhuriyet news- organizations,” including had refuted accusations ern fringes of the coastal city of el-Arish in northern
paper “a mockery of jus- Kurdish militants, a far-left that he had communicat- Sinai, a rugged region defined by desert, shrubs and
tice.” group and the network of ed with ByLock users was mountains. It showed the resilience of the militants in
Turkish President Recep U.S.-based cleric Fethullah largely ignored. the face of a years-long campaign to eradicate them
Tayyip Erdogan “succeed- Gulen, whom the govern- He said the additional 45 by the military and police, which between them com-
ed in suppressing pluralism ment blames for a failed days in prison since then mand far superior firepower, air support, heavy armor
and free press in this coun- coup last year. Gulen de- violated his right to a fair and larger numbers.
try. There are only a few nies any involvement. trial and he was jailed be- The attack also suggested that the militants remain ca-
remaining free media and Emre Iper, a jailed ac- cause of his stance as an pable of carefully planning elaborate and multi-tiered
we have to defend them,” countant for Cumhuriyet, independent and critical attacks, making full use of the weapons available to
he said. denied during his testimo- journalist.q them and their knowledge of the local terrain.q