CAIRO: Egypt's government has vowed to crackdown on security after a border attack led to the death of at least 16 police near the Israel border. The government here has referred to the gunmen who carried out the attack as “infidels” and promised to bolster its security presence in the Sinai Peninsula. The attack could strain relations between Egypt's new President Mohamed Morsi and the Israeli government, after Israel called on Morsi to ensure there was no security vacuum in Sinai. An Egyptian official was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying, “Jihadist elements” had crossed into Egypt from the Gaza Strip before launching the assault on a border police station. They then stole two armored vehicles and tried to smash their way into Israel, but were killed by Israeli troops on the border. Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Monday that 8 attackers died in the attack, adding that he hoped the incident would serve as a “wake-up call” to Egypt, which he has long said is losing its grip in Sinai. “The bodies of the five gunmen have been found by the Israeli army,” an Israeli spokesman said without giving any details. The official MENA news agency described the attackers as ‘jihadists' from the Hamas-controlled Gaza strip. Eyewitnesses said the attack came as the soldiers at the checkpoint were breaking their Ramzan fast. They said the soldiers were caught totally off guard and had no chance to retaliate. On Monday morning, Morsi held an emergency meeting with military and intelligence officials and later in a televised address vowed to retake control of the Sinai. “The security forces will take full control of the area,” the president said.
