海角大神

Gunmen armed with rocket-propelled grenades聽attacked聽a border guard post Saturday in聽Egypt's聽western desert in a brazen assault that killed 21 troops deployed in the province along the border with neighboring Libya.

Egypt's聽President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi called it a "terrorist聽attack" on soldiers defending the country's borders that will "not go unanswered.

"Terrorism will be uprooted from every part of聽Egypt," a statement from the presidency said. It declared a three-day mourning period.

The聽attack聽was the second in as many months on the same post, where a border guards company is based. Coming just over a month after el-Sissi took office, the聽attack聽is the worst single loss for military troops in recent history.

It is also the second brazen聽attack聽on troops in recent years during the holy month of Ramadan, when observant Muslims fast from dawn to sundown. In 2012, gunmen聽attacked聽a聽checkpoint聽near聽Egypt's聽border with Gaza and Israel, killing 16 soldiers.

The聽attack聽Saturday came less than an hour before sundown.

El-Sissi, the former military chief, had vowed to fight terrorism, saying militant groups acting across borders were a threat not only to聽Egypt, but the region and the world.

Military and security forces have come under聽attack聽by militants in聽Egypt聽during the last three years of turmoil, with聽attacksincreasing since el-Sissi removed his predecessor Islamist President Mohammed Morsi from office following mass protests against him. In the single worst聽attack聽on security forces, 25 members of the riot police were executed just over month after Morsi was ousted.

The Saturday聽attack聽targeted a military border聽checkpoint聽in聽Egypt's聽largest province, the western desert governorate of Wadi el-Gedid, that runs along the border with Libya to the west and Sudan to the south.

The聽checkpoint聽links the Farafra Oasis , an ancient caravan routes between Libya and聽Egypt, and the Bahariya Oasis, closer to the capital.

According to a statement on the official Facebook page of Brig. Gen. Mohammed Samir, a military spokesman, one of the gunmen's rockets struck a cache of weapons at the聽checkpoint, sparking an explosion. He said the聽attack聽killed 21 troops and forces later seized two car bombs before they exploded.

He identified the gunmen as "terrorists," but did not elaborate.

Another military official said about 20 gunmen in weapon-mounted vehicles took the聽checkpoint聽by surprise. Ensuing clashes killed three of the聽attackers, the official and the state news agency MENA said. A medic said some of the bodies were burned.

The official and medic spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to journalists.

MENA said this is the second time this border patrol company has come under聽attack聽from gunmen in the last few months. An earlier聽attack聽killed six troops, the agency said.

Egypt聽has long, porous borders with Sudan and Libya used by arms smugglers.聽Egypt聽has been flooded with weapons, mostly from Libya, following the 2011 civil war that toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Fighters from Libya also have come intoEgypt聽from these borders, security officials say.

Egypt聽has vowed to tighten security along its borders.