Egypt Forces Kill Tourists From Mexico
By LIAM STACK

Egyptian security forces opened fire on a caravan of tourist vehicles in the country’s Western Desert late Sunday night, killing at least 12 people visiting from Mexico and injuring 10 others, among them Mexican tourists and their Egyptian tour guides, officials said.

The tourists were mistakenly killed by a “joint force from the police and armed forces” who were pursuing “terrorist elements” in an area of the desert, according to a brief statement posted to the official Facebook page of Egypt’s Ministry of Interior. The episode happened around midnight, security officials said.

“The incident resulted in the deaths of 12 people and the injury of 10 people from among the Mexicans and the Egyptians,” the statement said. “They have been taken to hospitals for treatment.”

The security forces said that they had believed that the vehicles were being used to transport terrorists. The statement said the group had been driving in a restricted area where unauthorized access is banned.

“A working group has been formed to examine the causes and circumstances of the incident as well as the justification for the presence of a tourist group in a region to which access is prohibited,” the ministry said.

The tourists were traveling in a group of four sport utility vehicles in an area roughly 30 miles from Bahariya Oasis, security officials said. The oasis, a verdant desert outpost, is about 230 miles south of Cairo, and is a popular stop for groups on desert tours.

Mexico’s president, Enrique Peña Nieto, called the killings “tragic” and demanded Sunday on Twitter that Egypt investigate them thoroughly.

“I deeply regret that our countrymen lost their lives,” he said.

The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Relations released a statement Sunday night saying it had confirmed the deaths of two Mexican citizens and was working to gather more information about what had occurred in the desert. “The circumstances are not yet clarified,” it said.

Mexico said the victims of the attack were taken to Dar al-Fouad Hospital, an upscale and widely respected facility in Cairo’s western suburbs, and that the Mexican ambassador and consular staff were there to help them.

Egypt has battled an Islamist militant insurgency that emerged after the July 2013 military ouster of President Mohamed Morsi.

The insurgents, largely based in the Sinai Peninsula to the east, have killed hundreds of soldiers and civilians, set off bombs in the capital, attacked Western targets and aligned themselves with the Islamic State, referring to themselves as “the Sinai Province” of the Islamic State.

誤認為恐怖份子 埃及警錯殺12觀光客

埃及與墨西哥政府表示，埃及軍警13日在埃及西部的沙漠地帶追擊恐怖分子時，因為誤判而對四輛載有墨西哥觀光客的車輛開火，造成12名觀光客死亡、10人受傷，其中兩名死者是墨西哥人，其餘是埃及人。

埃及內政部發表聲明說：「軍警13日在西部沙漠的瓦哈特地區聯手追擊恐怖分子時，因為誤判而對四輛載有墨西哥觀光客的車輛開火，造成12人死亡，另外10名墨西哥人與埃及人受傷。」聲明又說，傷者事後緊急送醫。

聲明指出，有關方面將深入調查這些觀光客為何、以及如何進入已經劃為禁區的沙漠地帶。

埃及西部沙漠是熱門觀光區，也是激進分子的藏身處。遜尼派激進組織「伊斯蘭國」（IS）的埃及分支上個月在當地將一名為某法國公司工作的克羅埃西亞籍男子斬首，同時多次攻擊埃及安全部隊。IS支持者13日稍早發表聲明說，IS已在埃及西部沙漠有效阻擋埃及軍方發動的一次攻擊。

埃及軍方2013年罷黜出身伊斯蘭組織「穆斯林兄弟會」的前總統穆希之後，著手掃蕩IS埃及分支，近來並擴大掃蕩。該組織的多次攻擊已經造成數百名埃及軍警死亡，最近開始轉而攻擊西方國家的目標。

原文參照：
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/14/world/middleeast/egypt-forces-accidentally-kill-mexican-tourists.html

2015-09-14．聯合晚報．A1．要聞．編譯陳世欽