Mexican tourists killed by Egyptian security forces

The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militant group in Egypt said in a statement that it had “resisted a military operation in the Western Desert” on Sunday.

About 12 people were instantly killed, and 10 seriously injured, when an anti-terrorism operation conducted by Egypt’s security forces went terribly wrong due to a case of mistaken identity and, perhaps, poor intelligence.

As Mashable notes, the Egypt Tourism Authority still markets the area where the tourists were killed as a place for “adventure travel and family fun”, and does not have any warnings abut military operations or terrorist threats posted on its website.

Egyptian security and judicial sources later told Reuters that eight Mexicans and four Egyptians were killed, and that ten people were wounded, eight Mexicans and two Egyptians.

The claim contradicted initial statements from the Egyptian and Mexican governments, which both said the group of mostly Mexican citizens were in an unauthorized area when they stopped to have a picnic. They have since been taken to the Dar-el-Fouad hospital in Giza, southwest of Cairo for treatment.

“U.S. Embassy spokesman Brian Shott said officials are looking into whether an American citizen was involved in the incident”, added the report.

While details were still vague, it appeared from official and media accounts that Egyptian authorities suspected that a four-vehicle convoy carrying tourists in the western desert was actually ferrying insurgents active in the zone.

Education Images via Getty Images Rock formations near the Farafra oasis in Egypt’s Western Desert.

In a statement, it said Mexico’s ambassador in Egypt, Jorge Alvarez Fuentes, had visited the local hospital and spoken to five Mexicans who were in a stable condition.

“Unfortunately we have confirmed that two (Mexicans) lost their lives and six more were wounded”, Pena Nieto said, condemning the incident. But the group did not receive any warnings that the area they were passing through was restricted from any of the military checkpoints they had passed, or from their police escort.

The government says that hundreds of police and soldiers have been killed, many in attacks claimed by Sinai Province.

The tourists had been preparing to camp out in the Western Desert when they came under fire.

Since 2013, Egypt has been facing a surge in the number of attacks mounted by Jihadists linked to IS who have pledged to avenge the removal of Egyptian Islamist President Mohamed Morsi toppled in an army-backed uprising.

After launching spectacular attacks targeting security forces in its North Sinai bastion over the past two years, militants are increasingly adopting tactics similar to the main IS group in Iraq and Syria.

Being the gateway to lawless Libya, Egypt’s Western Desert has been exploited by terrorists, who mainly target security forces nationwide and particularly in the restive Sinai Peninsula.