Egypt under fire for video of soldier shooting at sleeping target in Sinai
International law has rules for how to respond to enemy forces who are not engaged in combat.
The Egyptian military is facing criticism for a video that shows a soldier shooting a sleeping enemy combatant.
Col. Gharib Abdel Hafez shared a video Sunday of Egyptian soldiers taking part in counterterrorism operations in the north of the Sinai Peninsula. At one point, the video shows an Egyptian soldier shooting an enemy fighter who is presumably sleeping in a makeshift structure. Another frame shows a man, seemingly unarmed, running until he is shot from above. A total of 89 fighters were killed in the operation, according to the video.
Egypt has been battling the Islamic State, al-Qaeda and other Islamist insurgents in Sinai since 2011.
The United Kingdom-based human rights organization Amnesty International condemned the video Thursday. Amnesty said the video showed “cold-blooded killings” and accused the Egyptian military of violating international law.
