Israeli soldiers kill 2 Egyptian border policemen

By Dan Williams and Mohammed Abbas

JERUSALEM/CAIRO (Reuters) – An Israeli military patrol
killed two Egyptian border policemen on Friday in what the army
described as self-defense by its troops after the Egyptians
stormed across the frontier firing at them.

Egyptian security sources cast doubt on the Israeli account
of the incident near Israel’s Mount Saguy, opposite the
Egyptian town of Bir el-Ma’in, saying the policemen were shot
after wandering across the unfenced desert border by accident.

A senior Israeli military commander said soldiers
patrolling near the Egyptian border saw three men infiltrating
at least 100 metres (328 feet) into Israel and opening fire on
them. He said the troops shot back and killed two, while the
third fled.

The soldiers later identified the men to be uniformed
Egyptian border policemen, he said.

“There was a clear infiltration into Israel and opening of
fire toward soldiers,” the commander said. “They did not see
(the gunmen) until they opened fire. There were no calls for
them to stop — their lives were in danger.”

Egyptian security sources suggested the shooting was
one-sided and said they did not believe the men had opened
fire.

“During their border patrol they lost their way and went
onto Israeli land, where the Israeli army fired on them,” one
source said, adding that the two dead policemen were armed.

The Egyptian security sources had no details of a third
man.

Israel’s Army Radio said Defense Minister Amir Peretz
ordered an investigation into the shootings.

Egypt in 1978 became the first Arab state to sign a peace
deal with Israel. Their border is largely unfenced and sees
regular smuggling of drugs, tobacco and foreign prostitutes.

There have also been occasional attempts by Palestinian
militants from the coastal Gaza Strip to cross into Egypt’s
Sinai and from there infiltrate into Israel, either to carry
out attacks or deliver arms to comrades in the occupied West
Bank.

Israeli troops killed an Egyptian smuggler in a border
clash on Tuesday.

(Additional reporting by Yusri Mohamed in Ismailia and
Corinne Heller in Jerusalem)