Gunmen kill nine drivers in Egypt's Sinai region

At least nine truck drivers were shot dead by gunmen in Egypt's restive Sinai region late on Thursday, security and medical sources said on Friday.

According to two security sources cited by Reuters, the suspected militants targeted a convoy of drivers transporting coal to a cement factory.

"They have threatened us repeatedly, asking that we don't work for the army's companies. We informed the factory management of the threats and asked them for more protection," truck driver Ismail Abdel-Raouf told the London-based news agency.

No group has come claimed responsibility for the attack.
Egypt is facing an Islamist insurgency concentrated in the Sinai peninsula from two main groups, including an Islamic State group affiliate, that have killed hundreds of security forces since 2013.

In recent times, attacks against security forces have also taken place in Egypt's western desert, where an ambush on Egyptian a police convoy led to the deaths of at least 16 security personnel last month.

Militants operating in Egypt have maintained a steady war of attrition with sniper attacks, roadside bombings and attacks on civilian targets, including Coptic churches.

Unlike the IS group in Iraq and Syria, however, Islamist militants have been unable to seize population centres in Egypt.