Extremists loyal to the Islamic State in Egypt have attacked a naval patrol ship in the Mediterranean Sea, causing it to burst into flames.
The Egyptian military said earlier a coastguard vessel had exchanged shots with militants just two miles off the coast of northern Sinai, an area bordering Israel and the Gaza Strip.
There were no fatalities among the vessel's crew in the shootout with the terrorists, according to a Facebook message posted by military spokesman, Brigadier General Mohammed Samir.
ISIS declared their presence on Sinai - a peninsula popular with British holidaymakers - last November when up to 2,000 members of the already established jihadi group Ansar Bait al-Maqdis swore allegiance to ISIS' leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Explosion: Extremists loyal to the Islamic State in Egypt have attacked a naval patrol ship in the Mediterranean Sea, causing it to burst into flames
Attack: Eyewitnesses said a boat patrolling the Sinai coastline spotted a group of ISIS jihadis on the shore and engaged them. A rocket fired from the shore (circled) struck the vessel moments later
The Egyptian military said earlier a coastguard vessel had exchanged shots with militants just two miles off the coast of northern Sinai, an area bordering Israel and the Gaza Strip.
There were no fatalities among the vessel's crew in the shootout with the terrorists, according to a Facebook message posted by military spokesman, Brigadier General Mohammed Samir.
ISIS declared their presence on Sinai - a peninsula popular with British holidaymakers - last November when up to 2,000 members of the already established jihadi group Ansar Bait al-Maqdis swore allegiance to ISIS' leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Explosion: Extremists loyal to the Islamic State in Egypt have attacked a naval patrol ship in the Mediterranean Sea, causing it to burst into flames
Attack: Eyewitnesses said a boat patrolling the Sinai coastline spotted a group of ISIS jihadis on the shore and engaged them. A rocket fired from the shore (circled) struck the vessel moments later
Smoke: A witness, fisherman Abu Ibrahim Mohammed from the neighboring Gaza Strip, said the vessel was a gunboat that was about a nautical mile off the coast when it was struck by the rocket
Eyewitnesses said a boat patrolling the Sinai coastline spotted a group of ISIS jihadis on the shore and engaged them.
At some point during the fire fight the vessel was struck by a rocket, causing it to burst into flames and withdraw from the battle.
The military said it suffered no casualties although it is understood several patrol workers suffered minor burn injuries
Comments
Post a Comment