２０１４，８、１９ バハレイヤ砂漠ツアーよりカイロに戻ってきた日本人旅行者からの情報によると
武装集団警戒のため白砂漠には軍がおり、白砂漠一帯の日中観光は可能だが、泊まることはできず、離れた砂漠地帯での野営だった、とのこと。
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ttp://jbbs.shitaraba.net/bbs/read.cgi/travel/7927/1223408459/
Egyptian security forces accidently killed 12 Egyptians and Mexicans in the vast Western Desert after mistaking them for terrorists, the interior ministry said on Monday.
“A joint police and army force were chasing terrorist elements in the western desert area of Al-Wahat and they engaged by mistake with four 4-wheel drives belonging to Mexican tourists who were present in a restricted area,” a statement from Egypt’s interior ministry read.
“The incident resulted in the death of 12 people and the injury of 10 Mexicans and Egyptians, who have been transferred to hospitals for treatment.”
The ministry did not specify the death toll of Egyptians and Mexicans apiece.
The vast Western Desert, which is the gateway to volatile and lawless Libya, has been exploited by militants affiliated to the Islamic State group, who mainly target security forces in Sinai on Egypt’s eastern borders.
Last month, five Egyptian troops died when their helicopter crashed while chasing “terrorists” in the Siwa Oasis in the Western Desert. An army spokesman said that was due to a “technical failure”.
At least 21 Egyptian soldiers were killed in July 2014 when gunmen attacked a military checkpoint in the New Valley Governorate, also in the Western Desert.
“An inspection team was formed to identify what happened and why the tourist convoy was present in the aforementioned restricted area,” the interior ministry statement added.
Hundreds of police and army soldiers have been killed by militants since the July 2013 overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi, with the Islamic State-affiliated Sinai Province group claiming responsibility for many of the major attacks.
Egyptian security forces accidentally killed 12 Egyptian and Mexican members of a tour group in the Western Desert after mistaking them for terrorists, the interior ministry said on Monday.
Ten people were injured in the attack, the interior ministry said.
The Egyptian prosecution confirmed that seven of the 12 dead were Mexican nationals and that the other bodies were still at the site of the incident pending inspection, Al-Ahram's Arabic news website reported.
Tourism Minister Khaled Ramy subsequently stated that one of those injured was American, according to Al-Ahram Arabic website.
The prosecution also said that the bodies' features were burned, adding that two of the injured were Egyptian officers from the security forces that shot at the victims.
According to a source at the touristic company responsible for the tour group's trip, four Egyptians were killed and two were injured. The source declined to be named.
Officials cite lack of permit
“A joint police and army force were chasing terrorist elements in the Western Desert area of Al-Wahat and they engaged by mistake with four 4-wheel drives belonging to Mexican tourists who were present in a restricted area,” a statement from Egypt’s interior ministry read.
“An inspection team was formed to identify what happened and why the tourist convoy was present in the aforementioned restricted area,” the interior ministry statement added.
The group of tourists and their local guides were staying at a hotel in the touristic area of Bahariya Oasis, around 350km southwest of Cairo. The area is a popular site for camping, safari trips, and hiking.
The resort is located in the vast Western Desert, which occupies much of the western part of Egypt.
The desert, which runs along Egypt's western borders, has been exploited by Islamist militants due to its proximity to volatile and lawless Libya.
At least 21 Egyptian soldiers were killed in July 2014 when gunmen attacked a military checkpoint in the New Valley Governorate, in the Western Desert.
Rasha Azazi, a spokesperson for the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism, told AP that the tour company involved "did not have permits and did not inform authorities."
She also said that visits to the Farafra area in the White Desert, near to Bahariya Oasis, need to be cleared by officials first.
"They were not supposed to be there," she said, but could not provide further information on the circumstances of the shooting.
However, the source working at the touristic company which organised the trip, Windows of Egypt, told Ahram Online that the group did have a permit.
"We already had a permit from the tourism police [for the tour] and the group had a police officer accompanying it," said the source, adding that entering the desert zone does not require an additional military permit.
"All the tourists were Mexicans and they were accompanied by six Egyptians: four drivers and a guide, as well one police officer from the tourism police," the company source told Ahram Online.
The company source said four Egyptians died and two survived. "One of the drivers and the police officer survived," he said.
According to a leaked programme, which the source said was accurate, the group travelled from Cairo to Bahariya Oasis, arriving at 8am; once at the oasis they were scheduled to stay at El-Bawity Hotel for a total of two nights. The incident occurred on the afternoon of their first day in the area.
The Egyptian army killed ten members of a “terrorist cell" in the Bahariya Oasis on Monday, a statement by the army spokesman read.
The army used commandos and air forces, along with anti-terrorism police, in their offensive against the terrorist cell, according to the statement, which was published on the spokesman's official Facebook page.
The cell was planning to execute terrorist and criminal acts against vital targets and foreign interests during the Eid vacation, scheduled to take place from 23 to 27 September, the statement added.
One militant in the cell was injured in the attack and has since been taken into custody.
The army said they discovered the cell based on "accurate intelligence information."
Egypt's army is fighting a decade-long militant insurgency in North Sinai that has spiked in the last two years.
However, security forces have also warned of militant activity in other parts of the country, particularly in the Western Desert which covers much of western Egypt.
Last week, eight Mexican tourists and four Egyptians were killed in the Western Desert, close to the Bahariya Oasis, by a joint police-military force that mistook them for militants.
Security officials said the tourists were in a "restricted area"and have promised a full investigation.
The Bahariya Oasis area is a well-known touristic area, popular for visitors who want to explore nearby attractions such as the White and Black Desert. It is located around 365km south-west of Cairo.
The army's Monday offensive is part of the "Martyr's Right" campaign, now in its 15th day, which is said to be the army's largest and most comprehensive operation aimed at rooting out terrorism.
At least 14 policemen have been killed in an ongoing shootout with militants in Giza’s Bahariya Oasis, a security source said on Friday.
The Giza security directorate source told Al-Ahram Arabic that eight policemen were also injured in the shootout, which is still taking place in the area, an oasis in the Western Desert of Egypt, approximately 370 km from the capital.
Another security source told Al-Ahram that more anti-terrorism unit forces have been deployed to the area in an attempt to apprehend the militants.
The anti-terror unit was deployed as a second stage in the operation.
In earlier statements, a security told MENA state agency said the shootout took place when the forces were attempting to raid a terrorist hideout in the area, and that the militants shot at the forces as police attempted to apprehend them.
The interior ministry has not yet officially commented on the incident.
