An Egyptian police officer and seven Central Security Forces recruits were injured in an attack by unidentified gunmen Friday, state TV reported.
The group was inspecting the natural gas pipeline connecting Egypt to Jordan in the Wadi al-Omar area when they noticed smugglers in the border area. Security personnel opened fire and killed one of the smugglers, and the smugglers returned fire.
The eight injured security personnel were transfered to Arish Public Hospital and Rafah Hospital for treatment.
A search has been mounted for the assailants, and prosecutors were asked to begin investigations.
The Sinai pipeline that supplies Egyptian gas to Israel and Jordan has been the target of 15 separate attacks since 2011, and since the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak security problems have plagued Sinai. The Armed Forces launched a major crackdown on militant groups in Sinai in August after unidentified gunmen killed 16 Egyptian border guards.
