CAIRO: The Sinai Province has claimed responsibility for the Wednesday murder of General Khaled Othman in Arish while he was monitoring a checkpoint.
Minister of Interior Magdy Abdel Ghaffar with children of murdered general at funeral
Othman, the supervisor of police security services in Arish, North Sinai, was overseeing security in the middle of Arish at night when gunmen in a white car shot at the forces, according to a Ministry of Interior statement.
The forces returned fire, but the attackers escaped after fatally shooting Othman, the statement said.
General Khaled Othman
The incident comes amid an ongoing military operation against militants in Sinai. The “Right of the Martyr” operation has been ongoing for nine days, with military spokesperson Mohamed Samir announcing the killing of dozens of “takfiris” each day.
Minister of Interior Magdy Abdel Ghaffar with children of murdered general at funeral
The most recent wide-scale attack on the army in North Sinai occurred July 1, where 17 soldiers and some 200 militants were killed, according to military figures.
Sinai Province, formerly known as Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, is an affiliate of the Islamic State group.