Policeman killed, 3 injured in Sinai attacks

An Egyptian policeman was killed and three others wounded during two separate attacks in Sinai on Monday, security and medical sources said. The victim was shot in the chest after gunmen opened fire on a police station in North Sinai. The officer died as he was being transferred to a military hospital in Arish. Earlier, three police officers were injured when a long-range ballistic missile struck the second floor of the North Sinai Security Directorate in Arish, the first of a kind attack since Islamist president Mohammed Morsi was ousted on July 3. The Egyptian Interior ministry confirmed the attack on its Facebook page and said the officers had been injured whilst trying to disarm the missile. Militants have reportedly stepped up their attacks in the area as over eight checkpoints in Arish, Sheikh Zuwaid and Rafaf came under fire from both machine guns and missiles.   According to Egypt’s official MENA news agency, at least 10 militants were killed over the weekend in clashes with security forces “Security operations carried out by the armed forces and police in north Sinai to hunt down armed terrorists... (resulted) in the liquidation of 10 of these armed terrorist elements,” the agency said, citing a security source. "The forces also managed to capture 20 of these elements," it added. State-run news website Al-Ahram quoted a senior security official as saying that the army has launched "Operation Desert Storm" in Sinai to eradicate terror and violence. According to the official, the army plans to surround terror hubs, particularly in north and central Sinai. According to the same source, the army will closely monitor the roads connecting Sinai to the Suez and Cairo districts. The number of militants in the area is estimated to be around 500. Since the military coup that toppled Morsi after massive nationwide protests, militant groups have launched almost daily attacks on troops and police in the Sinai.