ICC Note:
ISIS has retaliated against Egyptian forces in El-Arish and is said to be checking ID cards at checkpoints. The extremist group is reported to have said that they are specifically “looking for Copts.” The Coptic Christians have been fleeing from their homes since February after ISIS began upholding their promise to eradicate the minority population. There seems to be little safety for these Christians even after leaving the city.
3/14/2017 Egypt (Middle East Eye) – Islamic State militants appeared online on Sunday evening in Egypt’s North Sinai city of Al-Arish manning checkpoints and checking ID cards in search of Egyptian Christians.
The photos, published online, come after a number of security convoys and police stations were targeted by the IS affiliate, known as the Sinai Province, over the last week.
The images showed a number of masked Sinai Province militants inspecting civilian vehicles and checking ID cards in a street near El Faleh Square in central Al-Arish.
It also showed IS militants carrying different types of guns, along with heavy military equipment like rocket-propelled grenades.
According to Mada Masr, and Egyptian news website, IS militants who were manning the checkpoints had said they were “looking for Copts.”
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