IDF investigating death of Egyptian officer on border
Israeli, Egyptian militaries cooperating on investigation into death of Egyptian officer during pursuit of Bedouin smugglers, unclear if IDF troops involved
The IDF is investigating the possibility of Israeli involvement in the death of an Egyptian military officer pursuing Bedouin smugglers on the border between the two countries on Monday.
A joint Israeli-Egyptian inquiry has been launched following the incident. The IDF has already conducted an initial collaborative probe, in line with policy dictating efforts be made to avoid passing the statute of limitations in such cases, which mostly stem from misunderstandings.
However, it still remains unclear if the Egyptian officer was killed by IDF fire.
During the incident, which occurred in the early morning hours on Monday, Egyptian forces gave chase after a group of Bedouin smugglers near Mt. Harif. At some point in their pursuit the Egyptian soldiers inadvertently crossed the unmarked border and entered Israeli territory.
Still chasing the smugglers, the Egyptian troops opened fire at an IDF force operating in the area, which fired back.
A short while later the Egyptians reported one of their officers killed.
In June 2006 two Egyptian police officers were killed in a shootout that erupted on the border near Mt. Sagi.
An IDF probe of the incident determined that the Egyptian officers were over 160 yards into Israeli territory and had opened fire at IDF troops in the region. The army fired back, killing two of the officers. A third fled back to Egypt. The incident is considered an attempted terror attack by the IDF and the soldiers were deemed to have conducted themselves correctly.
