An attack was recently carried out on a police checkpoint in the Egyptian city of Ismailia, located along the Suez Canal, leaving four people dead and injuring a dozen, apparently mainly military conscripts. Egyptian state television has reported that one of the attackers was shot and killed by security forces.
The so-called Islamic State is claiming to be behind the violence. Whereas this group is barely a factor on the global scene anymore, Egypt has continued to deal with its militants, especially in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula. Several terrorist attacks have been aimed against police, military, and Christians in recent years, albeit less frequently, following a special operation in early 2018 which severely weakened the Islamic State in Sinai.
Islamic State franchises and splinter groups continue to operate in other parts of Africa, and some countries, including Nigeria and Cameroon, have experienced a recent surge in militant jihadism, though these attacks are often ethnically and not just religiously motivated.
