An affiliate of the Islamist terror group ISIS has claimed responsibility for a series of deadly attacks in Egypt on Thursday, security consultants told NBC News. The four attacks in North Sinai and Suez killed 27 people, security and medical officials told Reuters.
The attacks came after commemorations of the anniversary of the 2011 uprising turned deadly earlier this week. Egypt's government faces an Islamist insurgency based in Sinai and growing discontent with what critics perceive as heavy-handed security tactics.
The ISIS group said it would release more details later, according to Flashpoint Intelligence, a global security firm that is a consultant to NBC News. Reuters reported that 25 people were killed in a bombing of military buildings in the capital of North Sinai province, an army major was killed at a checkpoint in Rafah and a police officer was killed by a roadside bomb in Suez city. The government newspaper, al-Ahram, said its office in al-Arish was destroyed in a fourth attack, which the ISIS group claimed.
The Egyptian military confirmed the attacks, although it didn't say how many casualties were involved. It said that the attacks were the result of a successful campaign to pressure the militants.
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