Aswat Masriya (Cairo)

Egypt: Army Seals Rafah Tunnels After Attack

9 August 2012
Photo: Al Jazeera
Mohamed Mursi, Egypt's first elected President, ordered a reshuffle after the Sinai attack which left 16 soldiers dead.

Security sources confirmed on Thursday that Egypt's armed forces has begun sealing and demolishing smuggling tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip.

The decision came in response to a deadly attack which Egypt's authorities claimed was launched by Jihadist assailants who entered from Gaza through a smuggling tunnel.

The attack left 16 Egyptian police and army men dead, many injured and a nation wary of its national security under the new administration headed by the Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Mursi.

Security sources said that forces started with sealing the tunnels far away from Rafah's residential blocks, pointing that the campaign will continue to purge areas surrounding the tense borders shared with Israel, reported the Middle East News Agency.

Hundreds of tunnels lay between Egypt and the under-siege Gaza Strip, according to the state news agency.

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Egypt Intensifies Military Response to Sinai Attacks

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