A conscript from the North Sinai security troops was shot dead by a sniper on Sunday while standing on duty at a security checkpoint, south of Sheikh Zuwaid.
The conscript, Mohamed Samy Ahmed, 23, originally from Giza, was shot at a checkpoint in the area of al-Goura and was taken to Arish military hospital. He died of his injuries.
North Sinai security services were notified about the fatality and further investigations are to be conducted, while troops comb the area in search of perpetrators.
Egyptian military and security forces have been battling a mounting insurgency in Sinai since the removal of former President Mohamed Morsi in June 2013. Militants linked to the Islamic State terrorist group frequently conduct ambushes, mortar attacks and roadside bomb attacks in the North Sinai governorate.
Security forces are often the target, and reports of attacks on security personnel and conscripts are a weekly occurrence.
In one of the largest single attacks, at least 15 police personnel were killed in an assault on a checkpoint in Arish, North Sinai. According to news reports, the attack was initiated by a car bomb at the checkpoint, followed by mortar fire.
Militants from the Sinai Province terrorist group, which is affiliated to Islamic State, later claimed responsibility.
In a typical attack, militants will detonate explosives and then fire on ambulance crews when they arrive to treat the casualties.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
