Soldiers, tanks and missile batteries took up positions mainly in the extremist stronghold of sheikh suwaid and in the border town of rafah near the palastinian gaza strip, as eyewitnesses said. Reports of new fighting, however, were not confirmed.
On sunday, islamist militants killed 16 agyptian soldiers in the sinai and broke the border with israel. On wednesday they had launched more attacks on agyptian military checkpoints. The military retaliated with massive forces and also used fighter jets to fight the extremists. More than 30 suspected terrorists killed, according to security sources. It was the most serious armed conflict in egypt since the overthrow of longtime president husni mubarak in february 2011.
Agyptian president mohammed mursi dismissed – in agreement with the military – the head of the intelligence service, the head of the military police and the governor of sinai north province.
The state television station nile TV reported thursday on a shoving match between police officers and militants at a police station in rafah. The state news agency MENA later reported that a single person fired shots into the air from a vehicle without a license plate.