Egyptian navy vessel targeted by militants off Sinai's coast

[webfact]

Egyptian navy vessel targeted by militants off Sinai's coast
HAMZA HENDAWI, Associated Press

CAIRO (AP) — An Egyptian navy vessel was targeted on Thursday by militants affiliated with the Islamic State group, who claimed they destroyed it with a rocket while it was anchored off the Sinai peninsula's Mediterranean coast.

Egyptian military spokesman Brig. Gen. Mohammed Samir said the vessel caught fire in an exchange of fire with "terrorists" on the shore and that there were no fatalities among its crew members. He did not say how much damage the vessel suffered and gave no details on the type of ship or the size of its crew.

However, security officials said an unspecified number of crew members suffered injuries from the fire and that several of them jumped overboard to escape the raging fire.

The Egyptian IS affiliate, which calls itself the Sinai Province of the Islamic State, said it destroyed the vessel with a rocket. Its claim of responsibility came in a statement posted on Twitter accounts known to be linked to the group.

The authenticity of the statement could not be immediately verified, but it was accompanied by photos purporting to show what appears to be a rocket flying toward the vessel, a large explosion engulfing most of the boat and then black smoke rising up from the vessel.

The attack on the ship is the first of its kind by the IS affiliate in Egypt, representing a qualitative evolvement in the military capabilities of the group, whose campaign of violence has been mostly restricted to the northern part of Sinai bordering Gaza and Israel. Its claim of responsibility for Thursday's attack on the vessel is the second in as many days for major operations, or attempted ones.

On Wednesday, the military said it foiled an attempted attack on a military post on a highway linking Cairo to the Red Sea coast. The driver of a car that was carrying 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) of explosives refused to stop at a checkpoint, drawing fire from troops, the military said in a statement. It then swerved off the road and the driver was killed, it added.

Egypt's Islamic State affiliate said it was behind the incident, claiming the car's driver was a suicide bomber who had detonated his explosives, killing several soldiers. The authenticity of the claim, which was denied by the military, could not be independently verified, though it was, like Thursday's, carried by Twitter accounts known to be linked to the group.

A witness, fisherman Abu Ibrahim Mohammed from the neighboring Gaza Strip, said the vessel targeted Thursday was a gunboat that was about a nautical mile off the coast when it caught fire. He did not hear the explosion but saw two smaller boats trying to put out the fire and that a third, larger one later arrived and towed the burned vessel away. Two speed boats were later seen combing the area as gunshots rang out, he said.

The vessel, according to the security officials, routinely patrols Egyptian territorial waters and has frequently been used to transport army and police personnel to mainland Egypt, the officials said. The sea route avoids the overland journey through Sinai, where Islamic militants target government forces.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

In a separate development, Egypt's interior minister, who is in charge of security, on Thursday fired the Egyptian capital's security chief — Maj. Gen. Osama Beder — less than a year after he took the job. The move followed a series of high-profile bombings in the city, including a car bomb late last month that killed the nation's chief prosecutor, Hisham Barakat, in the capital's Heliopolis district.

Beder will be replaced by Maj. Gen. Khaled Abdel-Al, another veteran of the nation's highly militarized police.

On Saturday, a massive car bomb devastated the Italian consulate in the heart of Cairo. An Egyptian was killed in the early morning blast that rocked much of the city of some 18 million people. No Italians were hurt in the attack.

Egypt faces threats from multiple insurgent factions, including the IS affiliate in Sinai, which the military says killed at least 17 soldiers in a July 1 assault there. Scores of militants were also killed in subsequent fighting on the day, according to the military.

Officials from several branches of Egypt's security forces previously told The Associated Press that that attack killed dozens of government troops.

On Thursday, a roadside bomb went off at a busy square also in the Heliopolis district, injuring a traffic policeman, security officials said. The bomb targeted the part of Roxy square where traffic and other policemen routinely gather.
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Associated Press writer Fares Akram in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, contributed to this report.

-- (c) Associated Press 2015-07-17

[geriatrickid]

The attack is an illustration of why Egypt supports the Israeli restrictions on foreign vessels entering the area and why Egypt keeps a tight watch at the Rafah crossing into Gaza.

-The weapons used in the attack most likely came from Gaza. In the past, Gaza smugglers have supplied the jihadists in the Sinai. These attackers were affiliated with the muslim brotherhood which has strong ties with Hamas.

- As part of the Israeli handover of the Sinai to Egypt, it was agreed that Egypt would maintain the peace. These jihadists are doing their utmost to attack Egypt and Israel, forcing the Israelis to redeploy to the Sinai.

- Under the peace agreement, the Sinai became a demilitarized zone. Egypt currently has more military in the SInai than is allowed under the peace treaty. It is a secret understanding between the two countries.

- The muslim brotherhood aligned terrorists and supporters want to sabotage the peace agreement.

Egypt is going to do something and I expect that Gaza residents will pay the price.

[Seastallion]

The attack is an illustration of why Egypt supports the Israeli restrictions on foreign vessels entering the area and why Egypt keeps a tight watch at the Rafah crossing into Gaza.

-The weapons used in the attack most likely came from Gaza. In the past, Gaza smugglers have supplied the jihadists in the Sinai. These attackers were affiliated with the muslim brotherhood which has strong ties with Hamas.

- As part of the Israeli handover of the Sinai to Egypt, it was agreed that Egypt would maintain the peace. These jihadists are doing their utmost to attack Egypt and Israel, forcing the Israelis to redeploy to the Sinai.

- Under the peace agreement, the Sinai became a demilitarized zone. Egypt currently has more military in the SInai than is allowed under the peace treaty. It is a secret understanding between the two countries.

- The muslim brotherhood aligned terrorists and supporters want to sabotage the peace agreement.

Egypt is going to do something and I expect that Gaza residents will pay the price.

Tosh. There is hatred between Hamas and any group affiliated with ISIS.

[wabothai]

If Twitter or the authorities are aware of these idiots why not close their accounts on twitter?

[dexterm]

The attack is an illustration of why Egypt supports the Israeli restrictions on foreign vessels entering the area and why Egypt keeps a tight watch at the Rafah crossing into Gaza.

-The weapons used in the attack most likely came from Gaza. In the past, Gaza smugglers have supplied the jihadists in the Sinai. These attackers were affiliated with the muslim brotherhood which has strong ties with Hamas.

- As part of the Israeli handover of the Sinai to Egypt, it was agreed that Egypt would maintain the peace. These jihadists are doing their utmost to attack Egypt and Israel, forcing the Israelis to redeploy to the Sinai.

- Under the peace agreement, the Sinai became a demilitarized zone. Egypt currently has more military in the SInai than is allowed under the peace treaty. It is a secret understanding between the two countries.

- The muslim brotherhood aligned terrorists and supporters want to sabotage the peace agreement.

Egypt is going to do something and I expect that Gaza residents will pay the price.

Complete baloney. You are making it up yet again, same as the previous incident in Sinai...any excuse for you to blame Hamas in an attempt to score a few cheap points for Israel.

Who in their right mind would try to sneak weapons into Gaza under the nose of Egyptian security, then sneak them back out again to use in Sinai when there's a much easier route into Egypt due to its thousands of miles of porous borders with Sudan and Libya, currently infested with IS..Hamas' enemy?

Edited July 17, 2015 by dexterm

[Nice Boyd]

If Twitter or the authorities are aware of these idiots why not close their accounts on twitter?

Maybe a way to keep tabs on then IS IS is terrified of Communication Devices and Social Media Targeting

[geriatrickid]

The attack is an illustration of why Egypt supports the Israeli restrictions on foreign vessels entering the area and why Egypt keeps a tight watch at the Rafah crossing into Gaza.

-The weapons used in the attack most likely came from Gaza. In the past, Gaza smugglers have supplied the jihadists in the Sinai. These attackers were affiliated with the muslim brotherhood which has strong ties with Hamas.

- As part of the Israeli handover of the Sinai to Egypt, it was agreed that Egypt would maintain the peace. These jihadists are doing their utmost to attack Egypt and Israel, forcing the Israelis to redeploy to the Sinai.

- Under the peace agreement, the Sinai became a demilitarized zone. Egypt currently has more military in the SInai than is allowed under the peace treaty. It is a secret understanding between the two countries.

- The muslim brotherhood aligned terrorists and supporters want to sabotage the peace agreement.

Egypt is going to do something and I expect that Gaza residents will pay the price.

Complete baloney. You are making it up yet again, same as the previous incident in Sinai...any excuse for you to blame Hamas in an attempt to score a few cheap points for Israel.

Who in their right mind would try to sneak weapons into Gaza under the nose of Egyptian security, then sneak them back out again to use in Sinai when there's a much easier route into Egypt due to its thousands of miles of porous borders with Sudan and Libya, currently infested with IS..Hamas' enemy?

How do you think Hamas and its friends in Gaza amassed an arsenal of rockets and mortars? The munitions were smuggled into Gaza via the large number of tunnels. Egypyt destroyed multiple tunnels and homes in Gaza after the attack last year that left 30+ soldiers dead. This is what happened. How you can claim that I am trying to score cheap points for Israel is beyond comprehension.

Are you aware of the location of the attack? off the coast of RAFAH. You do know where Rafah is don't you? Here's a hint; It's the crossing point of Gaza into Egypt.

As reported by AP, Hamza Hend and AP writer Fares Akram in Gaza City, Gaza Strip

Egyptian military spokesman Brig. Gen. Mohammed Samir said the vessel caught fire in an exchange of fire with "terrorists" on the shore.

The attack on the ship is the first of its kind by the IS affiliate in Egypt, representing a qualitative evolvement in the military capabilities of the group, whose campaign of violence has been mostly restricted to the northern part of Sinai bordering Gaza and Israel.A witness, fisherman Abu Ibrahim Mohammed from the neighboring Gaza Strip, said the vessel targeted Thursday was a gunboat that was about a nautical mile off the coast when it caught fire

Have you ever looked at a map of North Africa? Are you aware that the supply route you claim is used is at a minimum 2000-3000 km

Do you even know who these attackers are? Ansar Beit al-Maqdis formed after the muslim brotherhood's Morsi was removed from office in Egypt.

It only changed its name in November 2014. It is not ISIS, but has pledged support of ISIS. Big difference. This group has always had close relations with allies in Gaza.

Remember this?

Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis members escape to Gaza, Marsa Matrouh

Al-Masry Al-Youm - in Egypt Independent

Ten leaders of Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, a terrorist organization group escaped from Sinai to Gaza and Marsa Matrouh, after military and police troops imposed a crackdown on them, security sources said. Armed elements fled to Gaza with the help of tribesmen, who knew their way through the desert, after military troops followed and killed some of them, the sources added. Some are accused of exploding gas pipelines, kidnapping soldiers in 2012 and killing others in Rafah.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

Who's full of baloney now?