Incident Summary:

02/03/2020: Assailants opened fire on military forces in Lafitat, North Sinai, Egypt. At least five soldiers were killed and three soldiers were injured in the attack. The Sinai Province of the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the incident.

GTD ID:
202002030002

When:
2020-02-03

Country:
Egypt

Region:
Middle East & North Africa

Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:

North Sinai

City:
Lafitat

Attack Information
Type of Attack (more) Armed Assault
Successful Attack? (more) Yes
Target Information (more)
Target Type: Military
Name of Entity Egyptian Army
Specific Description Vehicle
Nationality of Target Egypt
Additional Information
Hostages No
Ransom No
Property Damage Yes
Extent of Property Damage Minor (likely < $1 million)
Value of Property Damage Unknown
Weapon Information
Type Sub-type
Explosives Projectile (rockets, mortars, RPGs, etc.)
Firearms Rifle/Shotgun (non-automatic)
Weapon Details
Anti-tank missiles and sniper rifles were used in the attack.
Additional Information
Suicide Attack?No
Part of Multiple Incident?No
Criterion 1 (more) Yes
Criterion 2 (more) Yes
Criterion 3 (more) No
Doubt Terrorism Proper (more) Yes
Alternate Designation (more) Insurgency/Guerilla Action
Additional Information Casualty numbers conflict across sources. Following GTD protocol, the lowest reliable estimates are reported here.
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name Claimed Responsibility
Sinai Province of the Islamic State Yes (Confirmed: Unknown; Mode: E-mail)
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators Unknown
Number of Captured Perpetrators 0
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties 5 Fatalities / 3 Injured
Total Number of Fatalities 5
Number of U.S. Fatalities 0
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities 0
Total Number of Injured 3
Number of U.S. Injured 0
Number of Perpetrators Injured 0
Sources
"Province of Sinai storms army checkpoint in Sheikh Zuwayed, forcing military retreat," Mada Masr, February 13, 2020.
"BBCM Middle East and North Africa Watchlist for 4 February," BBC Monitoring Middle East and North Africa Watchlist, February 4, 2020.
"IS claims killing seven soldiers in Egypt's Sinai," Hoop messaging service, February 4, 2020.