JERUSALEM: Israeli security forces on Monday killed a presumed drug trafficker who sought to sneak into the country from Egypt s Sinai peninsula, a military spokeswoman said. During a routine operation by the army and the police along the border with Egypt, a unit identified a certain number of suspects trying to sneak into Israeli territory, she said. The suspects refused to follow orders given by the unit, which then opened fire, killing one man and lightly wounding two others, the spokeswoman said. Police found bags of drugs. On the other side of the border, in Al Arish, an Egyptian medical official says border guards have shot and killed an African migrant trying to cross illegally into Israel. Imad Kharboush, head of the Northern Sinai ambulance department, says the man was shot Sunday after he ignored warning shots fired by the guards and continued toward the barrier separating Egypt and Israel south of the border crossing of Rafah. Hundreds of Africans seeking political asylum and jobs try to cross from Egypt into Israel every year. Human Rights Watch recently urged Egypt to stop using lethal force against migrants. The group says since June 2007 Egyptian border guards have killed nearly three dozen migrants including a 7-year-old girl. Many more have been wounded in shootings. The 250-km border between Egypt and Israel is a major passage point for smugglers and illegal immigrants. -Agencies
