Sisi says Egypt battling 'a huge war', declares emergency rule in Sinai

After declaring a state of emergency in much of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula following attacks on Friday that killed 31, the country's president said the attack was part of a long-term plot and had been expected.

"A plot is being woven against all of us. All that is happening has een expected," President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said in a televised nationwide address midday on Saturday. "Egypt is battling a huge war – a battle of existence. We should remain united, one hand, one heart."

Sisi did not name any specific groups in his address, but said that outside sources had plotted a suicide car bombing and a second attack that killed 31 soldiers on Friday in the restive nothern part of the Peninsula. In the main attack, 28 soldiers died and at least thirty injured when a car bomb exploded at a military checkpoint near the border town of al-Arish in the Sinai.

A state of emergency came into force Saturday across much of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula after the deadliest attack on the country's security forces since the army deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi last year and one of the worst days of violence in Egypt for years.

The state of emergency, which took effect from 0300 GMT in the north and centre of the Sinai, will remain in place for three months, the president's office said.

A curfew is in force from 5 pm to 7 am.

Egypt also announced it would close the Rafah crossing into the Gaza Strip, the only route into the Palestinian territory not controlled by Israel.

"The army and the police will take all necessary measures to tackle the dangers of terrorism and its financing, to preserve the security of the region... and protect the lives of citizens," the presidential decree said.

Egyptian Streets reported a suicide bomber “rammed a vehicle packed with explosives” into the Karm al-Qawadees checkpoint in the North Sinai town of Sheikh Zuweid.

State media said the attack was followed by ongoing clashes in the area, with reports of militants armed with grenades, rockets and automatic rifles attacking military reinforcements at the checkpoint.

Security sources have warned the death toll may rise further as many of those wounded are in a critical condition.

Egyptian authorities have now “cut communications” in the North Sinai, according to Anadolu Agency, and Sisi convened an emergency National Defence Council meeting in response to the deadly attack.

Three soldiers were also killed when unknown gunmen shot at a military checkpoint near al-Arish, close to Egypt’s border with Gaza.

Militants have claimed responsibility for a string of attacks that have killed scores of policemen and soldiers, mostly in north Sinai, since the army overthrew president Mohamed Morsi in July last year.

The Egyptian army has led a huge security operation in the peninsula over the past twelve months and claim to have killed scores of militants, although locals have accused soldiers of targeting civilians and damaging property.

The main militant group, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, has acknowledged the loss of some of its leaders, but has continued to attack both the security forces and Bedouin suspected of collaborating with them.

The group, whose name means Partisans of Jerusalem, has also said it was behind deadly bombings of police buildings in the capital and the Nile Delta.