Officer, 4 soldiers murdered in terrorist attack in North Sinai, seven takfiris killed

CAIRO – 11 May 2022: A military officer and four soldiers were killed in a terrorist attack in North Sinai, where seven of the attackers were also killed and a collection of machine guns, walkie talkies, hand grenades, and ammunition were seized Wednesday.

The spokesperson of the armed forces said in a statement that the military would “avenge the martyrs in its ranks,” and that such “desperate attempts by the forces of evil and those who assist them would only increase our troops’ insistence on security and safety for the great people of Egypt.”

The statement noted that on Saturday, a military airstrike killed nine “takfiri elements” and destroyed a group of terrorist outposts and two four-wheel drive vehicles used by terrorists. Troops also discovered and destroyed explosive devices intended to target military forces.

Earlier on Saturday, a terrorist attack on a water station in Western Sinai killed 11 military personnel, drawing worldwide condemnation. This comes as the state attempts to revive North Sinai economically by infrstruscture projects. 

A "takfiri" is someone who labels others who oppose his ideology as infidels, hence giving himself and people who share his ideology the permission to kill those "infidels," regardless whether those against the ideology identify as Muslim or not.

The term is often used by the military alonogside "terrorist" to refer to armed men in Sinai.