15 Egyptian border guards killed in armed attack

At least 15 Egyptian border guards were killed by unknown gunmen armed with heavy weapons in an attack on a military checkpoint in southern Egypt today.
The attack occurred in the town of Farafra as armed men attacked the military checkpoint with rocket-propelled grenades, a security source told official MENA news agency.
The checkpoint is in a desert area 630 kilometres west of Cairo in el-Wadi Gedid governorate, security officials said.
The attackers were riding three cars loaded with weapons and holding the flag of al-Qaeda. Four of the attackers were also killed, a security official added.
Wadi Gedid Governor Mahmoud Ashmawy said that ambulances and fire trucks had been provided.

The attack, reportedly took place in the evening when people break their fast during Ramzan.

A similar attack by militants in 2012 killed 16 soldiers in Sinai.
Recent attacks that have surged since Islamist president Mohamed Morsi's ouster have been claimed by jihadists fighting against the bloody crackdown by the military on Morsi's supporters.
Since the army removed Morsi last year, a crackdown on his supporters has left over 1,400 people dead in street violence with over 15,000 jailed and about 200 sentenced to death.