Three army conscripts were killed and another 12 injured by an improvised explosive device (IED) that targeted their armoured vehicle in the North Sinai city of Al-Arish, several residents told Daily News Egypt Wednesday evening on condition of anonymity. The armoured vehicle was targeted by an IED on a road south of Al-Arish. The army media office could not be reached to verify the authenticity of the residents' narrative. Meanwhile, militants believed to be members of the Islamic State-affiliated group ‘Sinai Province' killed an army conscript stationed at an checkpoint south of Sheikh Zuweid in North Sinai, said a North Sinai based journalist on condition of anonymity. "Militants succeeded in a shooting operation while he was on service.The corpse was transferred to Al-Arish Military hospital," he added. In the same context, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi extended on Wednesday the state of emergency in North Sinai for an additional three months starting 29 July. Curfew hours have been imposed and renewed every three months since 2014 as a counter-terrorism measure. Several complaints have been heard by residents who claimed their lives and businesses have been negatively affected by the state of emergency. Some of them even told Daily News Egypt in 2015 that the measure was ineffective in fighting terrorism, and that "since the curfew was enforced, the militancy increased during the curfew hours".
