Teacher killed, 2 injured in separate North Sinai attacks

One person was killed and two were injured in separate attacks in North Sinai on Sunday.

A teacher was killed and another one sustained injuries when unknown assailants opened fire on their bus along the Arish-Rafah International Road, while a police officer was injured when an armored vehicle was targeted by a roadside bomb on the Arish-Qantara International Road, detonating an improvised explosive device.

The injured police lieutenant colonel was transported to the Arish Military Hospital. A security source told Mada Masr, speaking on condition of anonymity, that the device was planted close to the entrance of Arish, and that it exploded when the vehicle passed it. The attack comes one day after a joint-campaign between the military and police forces, whereby searches were conducted along the Arish-Qantara International Road west of Arish. They found a number of explosive devices, which they detonated remotely, closing off the road for several hours on Saturday.

The bus transporting teachers was going from Sheikh Zuwayed to Arish. A medical source told Mada Masr, speaking on condition of anonymity, that the deceased teacher sustained two bullet wounds to her chest and she was transported to the Arish General Hospital, where she died shortly after. The second teacher was being treated after taking a bullet to her arm.

In February of this year, militants from Islamic State-affiliate Province of Sinai intercepted a bus carrying female teachers to their workplace in Rafah and threatened them, warning them to abide by a strict dress code and travel in the company of male relatives, or else face punishment at the hands of the militant group.

Following the February incident, the teachers were given a brief leave of absence and governorate officials pledged to reopen the main roads in the area. Authorities have intermittently blocked the roads connecting the cities of Arish, Sheikh Zuwayed and Rafah due to the ongoing conflict between security forces and militants groups in North Sinai, forcing residents to use alternative, secondary routes.