A colonel in the armed forces was injured when unidentified men opened fire in Zagazig on Tuesday morning in what marks the third attack of its kind in four days, which have already left two policemen dead. Colonel Essam Mohamed Mahallawy, 42, was shot in the forearm by masked men on Tuesday morning, who then fled the scene, according to state-owned Al-Ahram. The shooting of Mahallawy comes after two policemen were shot down by "unidentified men", also in the city of Zagazig in the Sharqeya governorate. On Monday Abdulrahman Mohammed Abu Al-Ela was shot by "unidentified men" in a drive by shooting in the Abu Al-Akhdar area of Zagazig, and on Saturday Mohamed Eid Abdel Salam Eid died of his wounds in hospital following a similar attack. An official at the Ministry of Interior media centre said on Tuesday that the incidents are being investigated. He could not confirm whether the incidents were connected. Security forces have been increasingly targeted since the overthrow of former President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. Attacks targeting buildings and personnel of the police force and armed forces peaked on 24 January when four bombs exploded in Greater Cairo, all targeting security forces. Many of the bombings, including an assassination attempt on Minister of Interior Mohamed Ibrahim, have been claimed by Sinai-based militant group Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis.
