Egyptian army officer gunned down northwest of Cairo

2013-10-20 24

Originally published on September 18, 2013

An Egyptian military officer and a soldier were killed by gunmen in Sharkia province in the Nile Delta, Egypt, on Tuesday (September 17). The attack also wounded an army officer and a soldier.

The assailants, who were travelling in a vehicle, reportedly opened fire with automatic machine guns at an army vehicle.

According to Reuters, "the number of militant attacks has risen since the army deposed President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood on July 3, following mass protests against his rule.

"Most of the attacks on the army have been limited to the relatively lawless Sinai, near Israel and the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by Hamas, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.

"The army-backed government has been trying to restore security and create a sense of normality to bring back foreign investors and tourists to a country gripped by political upheaval since a revolt toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

"The Muslim Brotherhood emerged from the shadows to win elections, but millions of Egyptians became disillusioned with Mursi for giving himself sweeping powers and mismanaging the economy.

"Army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who ousted Mursi, has emerged as the most popular figure in Egypt, a strategic U.S. ally, and his promises to fight terrorism have won over many Egyptians, who long for stability.

"More than 100 members of the security forces have been killed in almost daily attacks in the Sinai since Mursi was toppled, some involving rockets. On August 31, rocket-propelled grenades were fired at a vessel passing through the Suez Canal.

"The most spectacular operation so far was a suicide car bombing that hit Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim's convoy in Cairo two weeks ago."

TomoNews is your daily source for top animated news. We've combined animation and video footage with a snarky personality to bring you the biggest and best stories from around the world.

For news that's fun and never boring, visit our channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/TomoNewsUS

Subscribe to stay updated on all the top stories:
http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=TomoNewsUS

Stay connected with us here:
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TomoNewsUS
Twitter @tomonewsus http://www.twitter.com/TomoNewsUS
Google+ http://gplus.to/TomoNewsUS