Photograph by Ahmad Hammoud
24 policemen were killed in an ambush in the Sinai peninsula, and at least 36 Islamists died in a separate incident whilst being transported to prison as the tumult continues in Egypt.
The police have been cracking down on militants in Sinai after a rise in attacks in the area since the fall of Mubarak in 2011. The latest attack came near the Rafah border crossing with Gaza, with 24 policemen killed and three more injured when Islamists attacked the two buses in which they were travelling. Security forces say that the policemen were ordered off the buses before they were executed.
In a separate event, at least 36 Islamic militants died from suffocation whilst being transported to prison. Police reportedly used tear gas to quell a prisoner riot, and the prisoners died as a result of misuse or overuse of the gas.
More than 830 people have died in the five days since security forces moved to clear the Muslim Brotherhood protest camps in Cairo sparking fierce clashes which killed more than 430 people in a single day.
The Muslim Brotherhood are protesting against the popular military intervention that ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi on 3rd July. The interim government contend that they had the support of the people to overthrow a failing government, and the Brotherhood have waged a terror campaign since their removal from power rather than preparing for future peaceful elections.
