CAIRO: An Egyptian policeman was shot dead on Sunday by a gang of human traffickers on the Egyptian-Israeli border, according to an Egyptian Security source. Ahmed Mohamed Adel, 22, was shot in the head when he tried to prevent a group of human traffickers from smuggling a number of Africans into Israel at the southern Rafah land port. Egypt has been criticized by human rights organizations for frequently shooting and killing migrants in order to prevent them from crossing the border. In 2010, many civilians were killed in clashes between smugglers and police near the border area. Large numbers of migrants use Egypt as a transit point in their search for jobs and asylum in other countries. Egypt's border with Israel in the Sinai Peninsula has become a major trafficking route for African migrants seeking jobs in Israel. BM
