Militants Kill More Than 230 in Sinai Mosque Attack

（单词翻译）

Egyptian media say suspected militants¹ have killed more than 230 people in an attack on a mosque² in the northern Sinai Peninsula.

Egypt’s state-operated news agency reported that officials said the attack took place in a town west of the provincial³ capital, el-Arish.

The officials said extremists targeted the al-Rawdah mosque during Friday prayers.

Arab media reported that militants in four-wheel-drive vehicles opened fire on people inside the mosque after an explosion. Media reports said this information came from a man who claimed he was inside the religious center at the time of the attack.

Eyewitnesses⁴ said the militants fired on emergency rescue vehicles as workers tried to take the wounded to hospitals.

Egyptian military airplanes reportedly attacked suspected terrorist targets in the Sinai following the mosque attack.

The Egyptian government has declared three days of mourning.

Shortly after the attack, Israel expressed its condolences to Egypt. Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty in 1979 and have cooperated closely on security issues since then.

In the United States, President Donald Trump⁵ denounced the attack. He said, “The world cannot tolerate terrorism, we must defeat them militarily and discredit⁶ the extremist ideology⁷ that forms the basis of their existence!” Trump’s comments appeared in a statement on Twitter.

Egypt's security forces have been fighting supporters of the self-declared Islamic State group, mostly in the northern Sinai. Militants have killed hundreds of police officers and soldiers since fighting there intensified⁸ three years ago.

In July, more than 20 soldiers were killed when vehicles carrying bombs exploded at two military positions in the Sinai. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for those attacks.

The militants have also carried out attacks beyond the Sinai, striking Christian⁹ religious centers and civilians¹⁰ in other parts of Egypt. In May, gunmen killed 29 people in an attack on a Coptic Christian group as it was traveling by bus to a remote desert monastery¹¹.

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Words in This Story

condolence – n. sympathy

tolerate – v. to accept or permit

beyond – adj. outside; away from

monastery – n. a home or center for religious workers

remote - adj. far from someone or something