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Israeli soldiers kill 2 Egyptian border policemen

Posted on: Friday, 2 June 2006, 11:17 CDT

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)

Source: REUTERS

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