A bloody terrorist attack in Egypt killed 31 soldiers.

At least two tanks and numerous other military vehicles and equipment were destroyed.

At least 31 Egyptian soldiers were killed in two consecutive terrorist attacks that occurred midday and afternoon on October 24th in the northern Sinai Peninsula, a territory bordering the Gaza Strip. In response, Egyptian President Abdu Fattah El Sisi convened an emergency meeting of the Defense Council last night, attended by the Prime Minister, the Speaker of Parliament, the Minister of Defense, and the commanders of the Egyptian armed forces. Later that afternoon, President El Sisi declared three days of national mourning to commemorate the soldiers killed in the attacks.

Earlier, according to official Egyptian sources, a suicide attacker drove a bomb-laden car into the Karm Al Kwadis military checkpoint in northern Sinai. The car bomb exploded, killing 28 soldiers on the spot and injuring about 30 others. At least two tanks and numerous other military vehicles and equipment were destroyed.

Scene of a bombing in Egypt (Photo: PressTV)

Just hours after the attack, an unidentified group of gunmen launched a surprise assault on another military checkpoint in the city of Al Arish, also in northern Sinai, killing three armed soldiers. According to several sources, the masked gunmen used various types of firepower, including mortars, in the attack.

Immediately after the attacks, the Egyptian army sealed off all access routes to the North Sinai region and launched a large-scale security operation involving armed helicopters and armored vehicles to apprehend the perpetrators. According to the Arabic-language television channel Aljazeera, all internet and telephone communication systems in North Sinai were completely cut off and paralyzed for several hours.

Analysts believe the attacks in North Sinai on October 24th were the deadliest terrorist attacks in Egypt in months. More dangerously, this could mark the beginning of a period of serious and unpredictable security instability in Sinai.

Strategic analyst Adel Suleiman commented: “This is a very dangerous new development in the trend of terrorist attacks in Sinai. Today's attack was very well planned and organized. The target was also carefully chosen. This could be the beginning of a new and highly unpredictable phase in Sinai. It can be said that the Egyptian government's security efforts in Sinai have failed so far and are unable to control the situation.”

Internationally, many countries and organizations have issued official statements condemning the attacks. In a statement last night, US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki affirmed that Washington stands in solidarity with and strongly supports Cairo's efforts in the fight against terrorism.

According to VOV